HYDROTHERMAL SYNTHESIS OF TITANIA NANORODS FOR EFFICIENT PHOTOELECTROCHEMICAL WATER SPLITTING

Abstract

Photoelectrochemical water splitting using semiconductors such as titanium dioxide has been a highly investigated topic for several decades. Many factors can affect the photoelectrochemical activity of these materials including their phase, combination with other materials, and surface area. In this work, we optimize the synthesis procedure of titanium dioxide nanorods thin films. The morphology of these materials was investigated using SEM, and based on XRD patterns it was concluded that samples contain mixed phase rutile and anatase titania. Photoelectrochemical measurements showed that hydrothermally synthesized pristine titanium dioxide thin films can show very high and stable photocurrent densities of up to 300 μA/cm2 under AM1.5 simulated solar light. This observation opens new possibilities for designing highly efficient photoelectrochemical devices by combining TiO2 in these thin films with other semiconductors and metal nanoparticles to further enhance the activity.