ZHAO Qianqian ¹, JIANG Feng ¹, YIN Li ¹, LAN Shanfang ¹, CHEN Junhua ¹, FENG Guo ², LIU Mengting ¹, HU Qing ¹, LIU Jianmin ², JIANG Weihui ^1,2

(1. School of Material Science and Engineering, Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, Jingdezhen 333403, Jiangxi, China; 2. National Engineering Research Center for Domestic and Building Ceramics, Jingdezhen 333001, Jiangxi, China)

Abstract: Fe₂TiO₅/C hollow spheres were prepared by using a nonhydrolytic sol-gel (NHSG) method, with carbon-containing precursors (Fe(OC₂H₅)₃, Ti(OC₄H₉)₄) as in-situ C source. Microstructure and chemical composition of the samples were characterized by using FE-SEM, TEM, EDS and XPS analysis techniques. Photocatalytic activity and reusability of the samples for degradation of dyes under visible light and UV-Vis were characterized.EDS, XPS and FT-IR measurements were used to examine the stability of the samples. Compared with P25, our Fe₂TiO₅/C photocatalyst exhibits much higher photocatalytic efficiency. carbon with high conductivity is evenly distributed in the samples and present in the form of interface carbon, which promotes the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes and prevents the electron-hole recombination caused by lattice distortion. Surface oxygen vacancies and Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺pares in the Fe₂TiO₅/C hollow spheresthat form a dynamic redox cycle promote the migration of the photogenerated carriers, which has also a positive effect on the photocatalytic performance. The Fe₂TiO₅/C hollow spheres show excellent reusability as well. After ten cycles of degradation, the photocatalytic performance exhibits no obvious deterioration. The unchanged surface composition, chemical states, functional groups and chemical bonds after recycling ensure the excellent reusability of the Fe₂TiO₅/C hollow spheres, showing a bright prospect for practical applications.
Key words: Fe₂TiO₅/C; nonhydrolytic sol-gel method; visible-light photocatalyst; reusability