Preparation, characterization and photocatalytic activity of Si-doped and rare earth-doped TiO2 from mesoporous precursors

Si-doped and rare earth-doped TiO₂ with large specific surface area were prepared by the hydrothermal method and sol–gel route, respectively, using C₁₈H₃₇NH₂ as template. The samples were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, low-temperature N₂ adsorption–desorption measurement, XPS and solid state UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The pore size for Si-doped TiO₂ exhibits both mesoporous and microporous distribution, and that for rare earth-doped TiO₂ exhibits a sharp and narrow distribution in microporous range. The photocatalytic activities were investigated with the degradation of phenol as probe reaction. Compared with pure TiO₂, the conversion of phenol and selectivity to CO₂ increases when adding rare earth elements, and the substitution of Si for Ti in an appropriate range also increases the conversion of phenol.