Preparation and Photocatalytic Activities of Nb2O5/TiO2 Composite Nano-Powders

Pure and Nb2O5-depoed TiO2, namo-particles were prepared at 540 degrees C for 4h by sol-gel method and characterized with XRD.The effects of the amount of Nb2O5-depoed for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue in solution, phase structure and crystallite size of the namopowders were investigated. The mechanism of the effects of Nb2O5-doping on the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 was discussed in relation ship between the crystal structure and its photocatalytic activity. The results show that 10% Nb2O5-doped can significantly enhance the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 nomo-particles, the mass prcent of rutile phase was 6.07%, its degradation percent is 87.5% and crystalline sizes is about 31nm. The presence of Nb2O5-depoed in TiO2 can inhibit the phase transformation from anatase to rutile and suppress the growth of TiO2 grains, which resulted in increase in the photoactivity.