Photoelectrochemical Activity of Nanosized Titania, Doped with Bismuth and Lead, in Visible Light Region

Abstract

A method for the preparation of film coatings of titania doped with bismuth (Bi³⁺) and lead (Pb²⁺) ions, separately and simultaneously, has been developed based on sol–gel synthesis. According to X-ray phase analysis, the films represent a single-phase system of titania in anatase modification. It has been shown that doping of titania with bismuth and lead leads to a shift of the absorption maximum to the visible light region; in this case, the largest shift is observed in the sample containing 2.5 wt % bismuth and lead. The film coatings have been studied as catalysts of photoelectrooxidation of methanol, formic acid, and phenol. It has been shown that the highest catalytic effect is observed for the samples containing simultaneously bismuth and lead; however, doping of titania with bismuth has the greatest effect on the rate of organic substrates oxidation. It has been assumed that photoelectrochemical oxidation of the model systems with visible light is due to a decrease in the band gap of doped titania to 2.7 eV.