Comparative study of absorption band edge tailoring by cationic and anionic doping in TiO₂

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) is one of the most favored metal oxide semiconductors for the use as photoanode in photoelectrochemical cells (PEC) splitting the water into hydrogen and oxygen. However, the major impediment is its large bandgap that limits its utilization as photoanode. Doping has evolved as an effective strategy for tailoring optical and electronic properties of TiO₂. This paper describes the synthesis of undoped as well as iron (Fe, cationic) and nitrogen (N, anionic) doped nanocrystalline titanium dioxide by sol-gel spin coating method for solar energy absorption in the visible region. All the prepared thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Doping of both Fe and N into TiO₂ resulted in a shift of absorption band edge towards the visible region of solar spectrum.