Iron-doped titania semiconductor powders prepared by a sol–gel method. Part I: synthesis and characterization Original Research Article

Samples of iron-doped titania containing different amounts of iron (0.5–5 wt%) were prepared from TiCl4 and Fe(III) acetylacetonate by the sol–gel method. The specimens were characterized by XRD, TPD, specific surface area (BET) measurements, SEM-EDX, XPS, atomic absorption, IR and diffuse reflectance spectroscopies. From the structural point of view, these samples are different from those obtained by impregnation of TiO2 (P-25) with Fe(NO3)3·9H2O or Fe(acac)3, seeming to present anatase as the unique phase and a continuous distribution of iron not only on the particle surface but also within particles, together with an external surface titania rich layer. The doped oxides show suitable properties for photocatalytic purposes.