Abstract
The photocatalytic splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen using solar light is a potentially clean and renewable source for hydrogen fuel. 1,2 There has been extensive investigation into metal-oxide semiconductors such as TiO 2, WO 3, and Fe 2O 3, which can be used as photoanodes in thin-film form. 3-5 Of the materials being developed for photoanodes, TiO 2 remains one of the most promising because of its low cost, chemical inertness, and photostability. 6 However, the widespread technological use of TiO 2 is hindered by its low utilization of solar energy in the visible region. In this study, we report the preparation of vertically grown carbon-doped TiO 2 (TiO 2-xC x) nanotube arrays with high aspect ratios for maximizing the photocleavage of water under white-light irradiation. The synthesized TiO 2-xC x nanotube arrays showed much higher photocurrent densities and more efficient water splitting under visible-light illumination (> 420 nm) than pure TiO 2 nanotube arrays. The total photocurrent was more than 20 times higher than that with a P-25 nanoparticulate film under white-light illumination.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 24-28 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Nano letters |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2006 Jan 1 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Bioengineering
- Chemistry(all)
- Materials Science(all)
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Mechanical Engineering