Doping mechanism of Zn2+ions in Zn-doped TiO2prepared by a sol–gel method

A series of Zn doped TiO2 is prepared via a sol–gel method by changing the concentration of Zn ions and calcination temperature. To investigate the existing states of introduced Zn, the transformation of existing states and the phase transition for the Zn doped TiO2 samples, high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques are applied. The existing states of Zn2+ ions and the transformation of existing states (O–Zn–Cl and ZnTiO3) in Zn doped TiO2 are closely related to the calcination temperature and concentration of introduced Zn ions, as well as the phase transition temperature from anatase to rutile. This work can be helpful for a better realization about the doping mechanism of Zn2+ ions in Zn doped TiO2.