Doping a metal (Ag, Al, Mn, Ni and Zn) on TiO2nanotubes and its effect on Rhodamine B photocatalytic oxidation

The effects of ion-doping on TiO2 nanotubes were investigated to obtain the optimal catalyst for the effective decomposition of Rhodamine B (RB) through UV photocatalytic oxidation process.Changing the calcination temperature, which changed the weight fractions of the anatase phase, the average crystallite sizes, the BET surface area, and the energy band gap of the catalyst, affected the photocatalytic activity of the catalyst.The ionic radius, valence state, and configuration of the dopant also affected the photocatalytic activity.The photocatalytic activities of the catalysts on RB removal increased when Ag + , Al 3+ and Zn 2+ were doped into the TiO2 nanotubes, whereas such activities decreased as a result of Mn 2+ or Ni 2+ doping.In the presence of Zn 2+ -doped TiO2 nanotubes calcined at 550˚C, the removal efficiency of RB within 50 min was 98.7%.