Research Synthesis of La3+ Doped TiO2 Nanoparticles by Hydrothermal Method, Study on Photocatalytic Activity of Decomposition of Methylene Blue under Ultraviolet Irradiation
Authors: Thi Minh Hue Do , Thi Tuyet Mai Nguyen , Van Chau Tran , Thi Thu Huyen Tran , Thi Lan Nguyen , Ngoc Dung Ta , Dang Chinh Huynh 
Published: September 2019

In this study, with the aim of improving the photocatalytic efficiency of TiO2, we studied the synthesis of La3+ doped TiO2 (with doped rates 1%, 2.5%, 5% mol/mol compared to Ti4+) by hydrothermal method. The hydrothermal condition was set at 180 °C for 12 hours. Material characteristics were investigated by XRD, SEM and solid UV-Vis methods. The results show that, all prepared materials have a crystal particle size of about nano-meters, small and smooth (4.5¸6.5 nm). La3+  doped TiO2 samples had a shift towards longer wavelengths (l» 400¸500 nm) compared to non-doped TiO2 sample (l£ 380 nm). The band gap energy (Eg) of La3+ doped TiO2 samples was reduced to 3.04¸3.10 eV . The yield of MB degradation of La3+ doped TiO2 at 5% mol/mol reached the highest ~93% after 60 minutes under ultraviolet irradiation.
Keywords
Anatase TiO2, photocatalysis, La3+ doped TiO2, hydrothermal method, ultraviolet irradiation.  
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