The Gd3+-doped TiO2 photocatalyst was prepared by the sol-gel and impregnation method. The effect of Gd3+ doping on crystalline size, BET surface area and photocatalytic activity was studied by XRD, FTIR, BET, UV-Vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy, surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SPS). The activities of TiO2 and Gd3+-doped TiO2 catalysts for photocatalytic degradation of ethylene were studied by means of in situ FTIR. The photocatalytic reaction rate constant of ethylene becomes larger through Gd3+ doping. The rate constant of TiO2 was k1=8.51×10-4 min-1, while that of Gd/TiO2 was k2=1.85×10-3 min-1. At the same time, the yield of CO2 increased with Gd3+ doping. The enhancement in photocatalytic activity is probably due to the increase of light absorption, higher content of anatase, smaller crystal line size and higher specific surface area. In addition, the higher photocatalytic activity of Gd3+-doped TiO2 might be attributed to the effective separation of photo-generated electron-hole pairs.
