Enhanced photo-catalytic activity of TiO₂ films with doped La prepared by micro-plasma oxidation method

Mesoporous thin titanium dioxide films have been prepared on titanium plates through micro-plasma oxidation. To increase the films' photo-catalytic activity, La ions with different concentrations (0, 0.025, 0.005, 0.075, 0.1 g/L) were added into the H₂SO₄ electrolyte solution. X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy techniques were applied to characterize the modified films. A kind of typical textile industry pollutant (Rhodamine B) was used to evaluate the photo-catalytic activity of the films. The results showed that this activity of the films had been improved by adding La ions into the electrolyte solution. The enhanced photo-catalytic activities might be resulted from the increase of mesopores' number, producing more reactive sites to absorb and oxidize pollutants. Also, the improvement was related to the forming of titanium dioxide lattice distortion, which could accept more photoexcitated holes and produce more strong surface free radicals to oxidate adsorptive molecules.