Low-temperature hydrothermal synthesis of S-doped TiO₂ with visible light photocatalytic activity

A one-step low-temperature hydrothermal route was developed for the synthesis of S-doped TiO₂ photocatalysts from TiS₂ and HCl. Crystalline TiO₂ was formed and sulfur could be efficiently doped into the anatase lattice under hydrothermal conditions. When the initial TiS2 concentration is increased, the content of S-dopant and optical absorption in the visible region also increase. The photocatalytic activity of the S-doped TiO₂ was evaluated through the degradation of 4-chlorophenol under visible light irradiation. Our results show that the S-doped TiO₂ prepared by this hydrothermal approach possesses much higher photocatalytic activity than that obtained by the traditional high-temperature thermal annealing method. Copyright © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.