Fe Doping in TiO2 via Anodic Dissolution of Iron: Synthesis, Characterization, and Electrophoretic Deposition on a Metal Substrate

The tailored physical properties of TiO2 are of significant importance in various fields and, as such, numerous methods for modifying these properties have been introduced. In this study, we present a novel method for doping Fe into TiO2 via the anodic dissolution of iron. The optimal conditions were determined to be an application of 200 V to acetylacetone (acac)/EtOH medium for 10 min, followed by the addition of TiO2 to the solution, sonication for 30 min, stirring at 80 °C, and drying. The resulting powder was calcined at 400 °C for 3 h, and characterization was conducted using XRD, FTIR, TEM, and UV-vis. The synthesized powder revealed the successful doping of Fe into the TiO2 structure, resulting in a decrease in the optical band gap from 3.22 to 2.92 eV. The Fe-TiO2 was then deposited on a metal substrate via the electrophoretic (EPD) technique, and the weight of the deposited layer was measured as a function of the applied voltage and exposure time. FESEM images and EDX analysis confirmed that the deposited layer was nanostructured, with Fe evenly distributed throughout the structure.