NO treated TiO2 as an efficient visible light photocatalyst for NO removal.

In this study, we report that nitrogen doped TiO(2) could be achieved via thermal treatment of Degussa P25 TiO(2) in NO atmosphere directly (P25-NO). The samples were characterized with XRD, XPS, and FT-IR. The characterization results suggested that nitrogen species were interstitially doped in P25-NO during the NO thermal treatment process. In comparison with P25, the P25-NO exhibited significantly enhanced photocatalytic activities under visible light irradiation (λ>420 nm) for gaseous NO removal. On the basis of electronic band structure theory, we proposed a possible mechanism for the enhanced visible light driven photocatalytic oxidation process over the interstitial N doping P25-NO samples. This work could not only deepen understanding of the enhanced photoactivity originated from interstitial N doping in TiO(2), but also provide a facile route to prepare nitrogen doped TiO(2) for environmental and energy applications.