Enhanced photocatalytic activity of In sub(2)O sub(3)-decorated TiO sub(2)

Titania (TiO sub(2))-based photocatalysts decorated with different amounts of indium oxide (In sub(2)O sub(3)) were prepared by a pore impregnating method and characterized by the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method, X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The separation efficiency of photogenerated charges was investigated using benzoquinone (BQ) as scavenger. The activities of the photocatalysts were evaluated by decolorization of methyl orange (MO) aqueous solution under ultraviolet-light irradiation. Compared to TiO sub(2), In sub(2)O sub(3)/TiO sub(2) composites show improved photocatalytic performance due to the coupling effect of TiO sub(2) and In sub(2)O sub(3), which greatly improves the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes.