An innovative method to quickly and simply prepare TiO2 nanorod arrays and improve their performance in photo water splitting
Journal
Chemical Engineering Journal
Journal Volume
253
Journal Volume
253
Journal Issue
0
Pages
274-280
Start Page
274
End Page
280
ISSN
13858947
Date Issued
2014-10-01
Author(s)
Abstract
We developed a simple way to synthesize TiO2 nanorod array on a Ti foil under moderate conditions in an ambient atmosphere. The morphology of the TiO2 nanostructure synthesized by titanium salts and acids depends on the type of acid and Ti precursors. The growth of rutile TiO2 nanorods with a diameter of 20-180nm on a Ti foil was obtained when Ti foil was treated in the presence of TiCl4 and HNO3. The diameters and growth rates of TiO2 nanorods increased with increasing concentrations of HNO3 and Ti precursor. As a consequence, these factors can easily be tuned to generate the desired TiO2 nanorod array in this proposed process. By calcining at a temperature of 550°C, the TiO2 nanorod arrays exhibited optimal photocatalytic activity due to an oriented nanorod structure and good crystallinity. The photoconversion efficiency is a function of array thickness and nanorod morphology. Due to an oriented nanorod structure beneficial to electron transfer, the TiO2 nanorod array has a maximum photoconversion efficiency of 8.65% higher than that of the compact nanoparticle film of 2.33%.
Subjects
Nanorod array
Nitric acid
Photocatalytic activity
Photocurrent
Publisher
Elsevier
Type
journal article