Photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange over nitrogen-fluorine codoped TiO₂ nanobelts prepared by solvothermal synthesis

Anatase type nitrogen-fluorine (N-F) codoped TiO₂ nanobelts were prepared by a solvothermal method in which amorphous titania microspheres were used as the precursors. The as-prepared TiO₂ nanobelts are composed of thin narrow nanobelts and it is noted that there are large amount of wormhole-like mesopores on these narrow nanobelts. Photocatalytic activity of the N-F codoped TiO₂ nanobelts was measured by the reaction of photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange. Results indicate that the photocatalytic activity of the N-F codoped TiO₂ nanobelts is higher than that of P25, which is mainly ascribed to wormhole-like mesopores like prison, larger surface area, and enhanced absorption of light due to N-F codoping. Interestingly, it is also found that the photocatalytic activity can be further enhanced when tested in a new testing method because more photons can be captured by the nanobelts to stimulate the formation of the hole-electron pair.