Preparation and photoelectrocatalytic performance of TiO2 nano-tubes arrays electrode

Highly ordered TiO2 nano-tubes arrays (TNTAs) electrode was fabricated through anodization. The effects of some experimental parameters on photocatalytic (PC) activity and photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) activity were investigated in detail. It was found that the optimum preparng conditions were as followed: the applied voltage, water content, fluoride concentration, anodization time and reaction temperature was 20 V, 40 vol%, 0.5 wt%, 2 h and 40 degrees C, respectively. In addition, the TNTAs electrode exhibited high PC and PEC activities, in which 39.1% and 65.7 % of methyl blue (MB) could be mineralized, respectively. The high PC and PEC activities could be attributed to the highly nano-tubular structure and mixed crystallite composition, which could facilitate the separation and transfer of the photogenerated charge carriers.