Visible Light Induced Self-Cleaning Performance of Iron-Doped TiO2 Nanoparticles for Surface Applications

This study aimed to enhance the visible light photosensitivity of TiO2 nanoparticles for self-cleaning applications by doping with Fe3+. Nanocrystalline undoped and Fe-doped TiO2 (Ti1 - xFexO2, x = .01-.04) were synthesized via sol-gel method. The results demonstrated that Fe-doped TiO2 nanoparticles exhibited visible light sensitivity and self-cleaning properties. An increased Fe concentration resulted in a red shift in the absorption band edge. Fe-0.03-doped TiO2 with an average particle size of similar to 21 nm, a crystallite size of similar to 12 nm, and a band gap of similar to 2.86 eV showed the highest photocatalytic activity (60% methylene blue degradation) and super-hydrophilicity (water droplet contact angle 9 degrees) under visible light radiation. These findings highlight the potential of Fe-doped TiO2 nanoparticles as a promising material for self-cleaning applications.