Preparation and photocatalytic activity of visible-light-driven mesoporous titania photocatalyst co-doped with B and S

School of Applied Chemistry, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang 110142, China E-mail : shzhl2000@163.com GE-HE Wind Energy (Shen Yang) Co. Ltd., Shenyang 110168, China Manuscript received online 02 October 2012, revised 27 February 2013, accepted 28 February 2013 In order to improve the photocatalytic performance of mesoporous titania (MTiO2) under visible light, a boron and sulfur co-doped MTiO2 photocatalyst was prepared by template method using boric acid triethyl ester, thiourea and tetrabutyl titanate (Ti(OC4H9)4) as precursors and Pluronic P123 as template. The microstructure of as-prepared photocatalyst was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and N2 adsorption-desorption measurements. The microcrystal of the co-doped photocatalyst consisted of anatase phase and was approximately present in the form of spherical particle. The particle size was in correlation with the calcination temperature. The photocatalytic performance was studied by photodegradation methyl blue (MB) in water under visible light irradiation. The calcination temperature and the doping content influenced the photoactivity. The effect of boron and sulfur co-doping played an important role in improving the photocatalytic activity