Preparation and Characterization of Fe 3+,La 3+ Co-Doped Tio 2 Nanofibers and Its Photocatalytic Activity

Abstract

Nanofibers of Fe³⁺, La³⁺ co-doped titanium dioxide (TiO₂)/Polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) composite have been prepared by electrospinning process. The ceramic nanofibers co-doped with metal ions were obtained by high temperature calcination of the organic/inorganic composite fibers. The structure, crystalline state and surface morphologies were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and atomic force microscope (AFM), respectively. The observation by SEM revealed that there was a significant difference in the fibrous structure of the nanofibers before and after co-doping and calcinating. XRD patterns indicated the lattice of TiO₂ nanocrystalline were distorted by co-doped ions. FTIR spectrum further confirmed the presence of Fe and La oxidate in the co-doped nanofibers. AFM images showed that comparing to TiO₂ nanofibers, the roughness was increased on the surface of co-doped nanofibers. Before and after doping, the photocatalysis activity of the nanofibers were analyzed using ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer (UV-Vis). The photocatalysis activity were significantly improved by the porous roughness surface structure and cooperative actions of Fe³⁺, La³⁺ co-doping.