Experimental and computational study of visible light-induced photocatalytic ability of nitrogen ions-implanted TiO₂ nanotubes

Nitrogen-doped TiO₂ nanotubes (TNTs) were prepared by ion implantation and anodic oxidation. The prepared samples were applied in photocatalytic (PC) oxidation of methyl blue, rhodamine B, and bisphenol A under light irradiation. To explore the influence of doped ions on the band and electronic structure of TiO₂, computer simulations were performed using the VASP code implementing spin-polarized density functional theory (DFT). Both substitutional and interstitial nitrogen atoms were considered. The experimental and computational results propose that the electronic structure of TiO₂ was modified because of the emergence of impurity states in the band gap by introducing nitrogen into the lattice, leading to the absorption of visible light. The synergy effects of tubular structures and doped nitrogen ions were responsible for highly efficient and stable PC activities induced by visible and ultraviolet (UV) light.