Preparation and properties of vanadium-doped TiO2 photocatalysts

The vanadium-doped TiO2 nanoparticles were prepared by a sol–gel method with Ti(OBu)4 as a precursor. The powders were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, TEM, XPS and UV–Vis absorption spectrum. The photocatalytic activity of the powders for methyl orange degradation was investigated under a fluorescent lamp. The results show that the doping V presents mainly in the form of V5+, and vanadium doping can restrain the crystal growth and promote the phase transfer from anatase to rutile. Vanadium doping can widen the light absorption range of TiO2, and the absorption threshold wavelength is red shifted from 380 nm to about 650 nm. As a result, the photocatalytic activity of the V–TiO2 nanoparticles is higher than that of P25 under the fluorescent lamp.