SYNTHESIS OF TIO2 NANORODS-BASED CATALYSTS FOR SOLAR ENERGY CONVERSION AND ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION

Abstract

Interest in multifunctional photocatalytic systems has increased due to the increasing demand for sustainable energy and efficient wastewater treatment. The synthesis, modification, and performance assessment of vertically aligned titanium dioxide nanorods for dual uses in photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants and photoelectrochemical water splitting are presented in this work. Using a hydrothermal process and optimized precursor concentrations, TiO2 nanorods were obtained. These highly crystalline, vertically aligned structures demonstrated improved photoelectrochemical characteristics. Noble metal surface modification (Pt, Ir, Au/Pd) improved electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution by lowering overpotentials, while spin-coating 2D materials (Ti3N4 MXene and MoS2) significantly increased photocurrent density by encouraging charge separation and interfacial electron transfer. Under AM 1.5G illumination, the photocurrent density of the MXene-modified TiO2 (TX1–1000) was found to be 1020.6 μA/cm2, whereas the MoS2-modified TiO2 (TS1–1000) reached 991.8 μA/cm2. These improvements were supported by photoluminescence quenching and reduced charge transfer resistance. The modified electrodes maintained excellent PEC performance and stability even though the photocatalytic degradation efficiency for dye pollutants was slightly decreased, which was ascribed to increased recombination and plasmon damping effects. This study advances the potential of TiO2-based photoelectrodes in solar hydrogen production and environmental remediation by presenting a scalable and affordable method for improving them through nanostructuring and 2D material integration.