Highly-accessible, doped TiO2 nanoparticles embedded at the surface of SiO2 as photocatalysts for the degradation of pollutants under visible and UV radiation

A series of photocatalysts consisting of C- and N-doped titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles highly dispersed and firmly embedded at the surface of a silica matrix were prepared using a novel synthesis method in which activated carbon has a double role: it acts as support for depositing the TiO2 nanoparticles and as hard template for generating...