V and F Codoped TiO₂-SiO₂ Composite Films for Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity

Abstract

A simple process was developed for preparation of highly photoactive V and F codoped TiO2-SiO2 composite film. The as-prepared specimens were characterized using Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area, photoluminescence (PL) spectra, and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The BET results revealed that the surface area of the modified TiO2 sample was 413 m2 g-1, while pure TiO2 103 m2 g-1. The PL results showed that the recombination rate of the photo-generated electrons and holes was effectively prohibited via the multi-modification. The photocatalytic activities of the films were evaluated by degradation of methyl green (MG) dye. Compared with pure TiO2 film, the multi-modified TiO2 film exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity and clearly responsive to the visible light. Keywords: V and F codoping; TiO2-SiO2 composite film; Photocatalytic activity