In situ synthesis of mesoporous C-doped TiO2 single crystal with oxygen vacancy and its enhanced sunlight photocatalytic properties

Mesoporous C-doped TiO 2 single crystals with oxygen vacancy (V O -MC TiO 2 ) have been prepared through a facile in-situ modified sol-gel synthesis. The oxygen vacancy of C-doped TiO 2 is controlled by the limited-oxygen atmosphere originates from the decomposition of urea. The as-prepared V O -MC TiO 2 shows a well-defined cubic morphology with average grain size of 22 nm. The N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherms further informs the presence of fissure form mesoporous structure. The V O -MC TiO 2 catalyzes the degradation of Rhodamine B with 97.3% removal efficiency in 9 min under UV light. And it can degrade the RhB completely under natural sunlight irradiation within 60 min. The excellent photocatalytic performance is attributed to the unique microstructure of V O -MC TiO 2 . C-doping together with oxygen vacancy in TiO 2 lattice leads to high separation efficiency of photogenerated charges. Moreover, the mesoporous surface enhances the visible light absorption and dye adsorption, resulting in the high visible light activity.