EXAFS investigation of iron local environment in metal-doped titania photocatalysts prepared by hydrothermal and high-energy ball milling routes

Iron local environment was investigated by EXAFS in Fe- and (Fe, Eu)-doped TiO 2 photocatalysts, prepared by hydrothermal and high-energy ball milling (HEBM) routes. In the case of the hydrothermal samples, the substitution of Ti 4+ by Fe 3+ ions was evidenced. For the samples prepared by HEBM, the iron environment corresponds to mixed metallic and oxidized (FeO, α-Fe 2 O 3 ) configurations, without a clear evidence of iron incorporation into the TiO 2 lattice. This could be related to the catalyst contamination by iron microparticles detached from the balls during milling process.