Enhanced visible light absorption of TiO2 nanorod photoanode by NiTiO3 decoration for high-performance photoelectrochemical cells

Abstract

TiO2 nanorod (NR) and NiTiO3 (NTO) enhanced TiO2 NR photoanodes were studied for visible light driven water splitting in photoelectrochemical cells (PECs). The TiO2 and NTO/TiO2 growth on the FTO substrates were synthesised via the hydrothermal method. The Ni2+ content was the control factor to fabricate various different NTO/TiO2 heterostructures. The structure and surface morphology of NTO formation on TiO2 surfaces were investigated via SEM and TEM. Chemical absorption species and chemical bonding at interfaces were investigated by EDS and XPS spectroscopy. The optical absorption of the materials was studied by UV–visible and PL spectroscopy. Details on the influencing parameters on the electrochemical and photoelectrochemical properties were discussed. In this study, the 0.25NTO/TiO2 photoanode exhibited the best performance. This was because the electron lifetime, charge transfer resistance, donor density, and band gap improved.