Vacuum-Treated Mo,S-Doped TiO2:Gd Mesoporous Nanospheres: An Improved Visible-Light Photocatalyst

A one-step hydrothermal process to convert Gd-doped titanium glycolate precursor nanospheres into TiO2:Gd mesoporous nanospheres by Ostwald ripening and to cause in situ Mo- and S-doping of TiO2 was investigated. Importantly, the photocatalytic ability of the Mo,S-doped TiO2:Gd mesoporous nanospheres was 3.8 times higher than that of the only S-doped samples and better than that of the MoS2 sub-microspheres under visible-light irradiation. Moreover, treatment of the samples under a low vacuum for 3 days (6.7 +/- 0.7 Pa, 150 degrees C) reinforced the photocatalytic properties of the nanospheres and increased their efficiency threefold.