Photocatalytic semiconductor thin films have the ability to degrade volatile organic compounds (VOCs) causing numerous health problems. The group of VOCs called "BTEX" is abundant in houses and indoor of automobiles. Anatase phase of TiO 2 has a band gap of 3.2 eV and UV radiation is required for photogeneration of electrons and holes in TiO 2 particles. This band gap can be decreased significantly when TiO 2 is doped with nitrogen (N-TiO 2). Dopants like Pd, Cd, and Ag are hazardous to human health but N-doped TiO 2 can be used in indoor pollutant remediation. In this research, N-doped TiO 2 nano-powder was prepared and characterized using various analytical techniques. N-TiO 2 was made in sol-gel method and triethylamine (N(CH 2 CH 3) 3) was used as the N-precursor. Modified quartz cell was used to measure the photocatalytic degradation of toluene. N-doped TiO 2 nano-powder was illuminated with visible light (xenon lamp 200 W, λ = 330-800 nm, intensity = 1 Sun) to cause the degradation of VOCs present in static air. Photocatalyst was coated on a thin glass plate, using the doctor-blade method, was inserted into a quartz cell containing 2.00 µL of toluene and 35 min was allowed for evaporation/condensation equilibrium and then illuminated for 2 h. Remarkably, the highest value of efficiency 85% was observed in the 1 μm thick N-TiO 2 thin film. The kinetics of photocatalytic degradation of toluene by N-TiO 2 and P25-TiO 2 has been compared. Surface topology was studied by varying the thickness of the N-TiO 2 thin films. The surface nanostructures were analysed and studied with atomic force microscopy with various thin film thicknesses.
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