Characterization of nitrogen ion implanted TiO2 photocatalysts by XAFS and XPS

A nitrogen doped TiO2 as a visible-light response photocatalyst was prepared by N+ implantation technique. N+-implanted TiO2 samples promoted the photocatalytic activity for degradation of methylene blue under visible-light irradiation. XANES and XPS analyses indicated two types of chemical state of nitrogen, one photo-catalytically active N substituting the O sites and the other inactive NOx (1⩽x⩽2) species. In the valence band XPS spectrum of the high activity sample, the additional electronic states were observed just above the valence band edge of a TiO2. The electronic state would be originated from the substitutional nitrogen and be responsible for the band gap narrowing, i.e., visible light response of TiO2 photocatalysts.