Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation of Rutile TiO2 by Analysis of the Surface Potential and Fluorescence

Rare earth (RE) (La³⁺, Ce⁴⁺, Pr³⁺, Nd³⁺, Sm³⁺, Eu³⁺, Gd³⁺, Tb³⁺, Dy³⁺, Er³⁺, Tm³⁺ and Y³⁺) doped rutile phase TiO₂ were prepared by low temperature one step synthesis and used as photocatalyst. The RE doped rutile phase TiO₂ were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Particle Size, zeta potential, UV-visible spectroscopy, fluorescence spectrum. The results show that the RE have been doped into the rutile TiO₂ crystal lattice successfully. It was analyzed that main crystal phase was rutile phase TiO₂ in XRD. It shows that we can get micrometer-size rutile phase TiO₂ and RE doped TiO₂ by one-step method. Particle Size indicate that we can get micrometer-size rutile TiO₂ and RE doped rutile TiO₂ by one-step method. The results of zeta potential of RE doped rutile TiO₂ explain RE how to change the photoelectric activity by increase the lattice defect. The results of FS show that RE how to influence on the electron transition and the electron trap of rutile TiO₂. These results indicate that RE can enhanced photocatalytic degradation of rutile TiO₂.