Synthesis, characterization and photocatalytic properties of iron-doped TiO2 catalysts

Fe-doped TiO2 catalysts were prepared by coprecipitation and the sol-gel method. The anatase to rutile phase transformation is dependent on the nature of the precursor used. Sol-gel-derived iron-doped catalysts show the presence of rutile and pseudobrookite phases, whereas coprecipitated catalysts show only the anatase phase. The role of the dopant ion is primarily to improve the charge separation of the photoproduced electron-hole pairs via a permanent electric field. The photocatalytic activity of the iron-doped catalysts can be explained in terms of the heterojunction formed between the Fe/TiO2 and alpha-Fe2O3 phases for the sol-gel-derived catalyst. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.