Ionic liquid mediated synthesis of nitrogen, carbon and fluorine-codoped rutile TiO2 nanorods for improved UV and visible light photocatalysis

Abstract

The application of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([BMIM][BF₄]) ionic liquid (IL) as a designer solvent for the synthesis of multiple nonmetal (N, C and F) codoped rutile titania (TiO₂) nanorods is presented. The incorporation of multiple nonmetals within the TiO₂ lattice was achieved by controlled heating of a semi-crystalline organic–inorganic complex formed via ammonia-driven hydrolysis of a titanium precursor in [BMIM][BF₄]. These multiple nonmetal codoped rutile NCF–TiO₂ nanorods showed a remarkable improvement in UV and visible light photocatalysis performance over commercial nanoparticulate Degussa P25 anatase TiO₂.