Enhanced Nitrogen Doping in TiO2 Nanoparticles

TiO2 - xNx nanoparticles were prepared by employing the direct amination of 6−10-nm-sized titania particles. Doping on the nanometer scale led to an enhanced nitrogen concentration of up to 8%, compared to ≤2% in thin films and micrometer-scale TiO2 powders. The synthesized TiO2 - xNx nanocrystals are catalytically active and absorb well into the visible region up to 600 nm, thus exemplifying the use of a nanostructure-based synthesis as a means of producing novel photocatalytic materials.