Photocatalytic activity of co-doped TiO2 nanoparticles under UV and visible light

M/TiO2 (M=Ag,Cr,Cu,V,Pt) was synthesized by standard sol-gel methods. The resulting materials were extensivelly characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), BET surface-area measurements, Raman spectroscopy, and UV-Vis spectroscopy and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). UV-Vis spectroscopy demonstrated a clear shift in the absorbance of the catalysts towards the visible light region. The photocatalytic activity of M/TiO2 was evaluated in the oxidation of methylcyclohexane (MCH) under the illumination of UV and visible light. The conducted reactions were monitored by in situ ATR-FTIR technique. The photocatalytic acivity of Cr/TiO2 showed much better conversion of MCH under visible light illumination compared with the parent of other M/TiO2.