Applied Catalysis A: General, Vol.402, No.1-2, 23-30, 2011
Preparation of nitrogen doped K2Nb4O11 with high photocatalytic activity for degradation of organic pollutants
Nitrogen doped K2Nb4O11 (K2Nb4O11-N) has been prepared by solid state reaction between K2Nb4O11 and urea at 400 degrees C. K2Nb4O11-N has been characterized by XRD, SEM, XPS and UV/vis diffuse reflectance. The photodegradation of various organic pollutants in water by this material, including Orange G (OG), bisphenol A (BPA) and pentachlorophenol (PCP) have been studied at lambda >330 nm and >399 nm. The results show that the photocatalytic activity of K2Nb4O11-N at >399 nm is higher than those of K2Nb4O11 and Degussa TiO2 P25, indicating the activating effect of nitrogen doping. A mechanism for the photodegradation of organic substrates by K2Nb4O11-N is proposed. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier B.V.