Visible-light Photodegradation of Higher Molecular Weight Organics on N-doped TiO₂ Nanostructured Thin Films

Nitrogen doped titania nanoparticles were synthesized and deposited as thin films onto glass slides for photodecomposition studies of high molecular weight organics. The decomposition of stearic acid and polyethelyne glycol (PEG) on the nanostructured thin films under visible light irradiation were monitored using FTIR spectroscopy and a decrease in C–H stretch peak area in the 2,700–3,000 cm⁻¹ range was monitored as the organic molecules were photocatalytically destroyed. Conversely, irradiation with visible light only or the whole Xenon lamp spectrum did not result in the degradation of the stearic or PEG coatings on glass in the absence of the nanocatalysts, which demonstrates for the first time visible light photoactivity of nitrogen-doped titania nanoparticle films.