Highly efficient visible-light active photocatalyst: thoroughly mesoporous Fe doped TiO2 nanofibers

Fe-doped TiO 2 nanofibers with a thoroughly mesoporous structure were prepared via a facile foaming-assisted electrospinning method. The foaming agents and FeAcAc were introduced in the raw materials to create the mesopores and incorporate the Fe dopants into the conventional solid TiO 2 nanofibers, respectively, which could be accomplished simultaneously over a one-step calcination process. The photocatalytic experimental results demonstrate that the mesoporous Fe-doped TiO 2 nanofibers exhibit significantly enhanced activity toward the RhB degradation and splitting water for hydrogen generation under visible-light illumination, as compared to those of Fe-doped solid and intrinsic thoroughly mesoporous counterparts. The photocatalytic mechanism is proposed that the one-dimensional mesoporous nanostructure can enhance the transportation of the reactant and products, and the Fe-doping induces the shift of the absorption edge into the visible-light range and restrains the recombination of photo-generated electrons and holes, which can synergistically improve their activity.