Photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants with Ag decorated free-standing TiO2 nanotube arrays and interface electrochemical response

Xingliang He; Yunyu Cai; Hemin Zhang; Changhao Liang

doi:10.1039/C0JM02404J

Photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants with Ag decorated free-standing TiO₂nanotube arrays and interface electrochemical response

Xingliang He,^a Yunyu Cai,^a Hemin Zhang^a and Changhao Liang*^a

* Corresponding authors

^a Key Laboratory of Materials Physics and Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, P. R. China
E-mail: chliang@issp.ac.cn
Fax: +86-551-5591434
Tel: +86-551-5591129

Abstract

Decoration of TiO₂ by metal nanoparticles allows for the fabrication of a new nanocomposite electrode with enhanced performance in photo-electrochemical applications. In this article, we report a facile way to synthesize free-standing, highly orientated TiO₂ nanotube (TiO₂-NT) arrays by a new kind of two-step electrochemical anodization method, and an efficient decoration of uniform sized Ag nanoparticles onto the outer and inner surface of TiO₂ nanotubes through a wetting-thermal decomposition route. In particular, compared with pure TiO₂-NT arrays, the testing of nanoelectrode made with Ag/TiO₂-NTs composite arrays presents enhanced efficiency in photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye and organic pollutant of pentachlorophenol, and improved electrochemical responses as results of the suppression of electron/hole pairs from recombination and acceleration of surface charge transfer by Ag nanoparticles.

Article information

https://doi.org/10.1039/C0JM02404J

Article type

Paper

Submitted

26 Jul 2010

Accepted

15 Sep 2010

First published

21 Oct 2010

Download Citation

J. Mater. Chem., 2011,21, 475-480

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Photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants with Ag decorated free-standing TiO₂ nanotube arrays and interface electrochemical response

X. He, Y. Cai, H. Zhang and C. Liang, J. Mater. Chem., 2011, 21, 475 DOI: 10.1039/C0JM02404J

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Journal of Materials Chemistry