Fabrication and characterization of photoelectrode B–Co/TiO2 nanotubes for effective photoelectrochemical degradation of rhodamine B

Abstract

The TiO2 nanotubes (TNT), B/TiO2 nanotubes (B/TNT), Co/TiO2 nanotubes (Co/TNT), and B–Co/TiO2 nanotubes (B–Co/TNT), which were produced by the anodization technique, were used as photoelectrodes for the photoelectrochemical (PEC) degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB). The produced electrodes were characterized by SEM, XRD, UV–Visible Spectrophotometer, and XPS analysis. The responses of the photocurrent density of NTs were used to determine the PEC performances. The linear sweep voltammetry results showed that the photocurrent densities of TNT, B/TNT, Co/TNT, and B–Co/TNT reached 0.31, 0.75, 1.12, and 2.1 mA/cm2 at 0.6 V. The photocurrent densities of B/TNT, Co/TNT, and B–Co/TNT were about 2.42, 3.61, and 6.77 times higher than the photocurrent density of TNT, respectively. The stability study for B–Co/TNT with the highest photocurrent intensity was carried out under 10 h of irradiation and there was no significant change in the photocurrent intensity NTs. The evaluation of electrocatalytic, photocatalytic, and photoelectrocatalytic performances of B–Co/TNTs photoelectrode was performed on the degradation of RhB, and the dye degradation of 14.3%, 41.8%, and 95.5% was obtained, respectively. To determine the effect of doping on TNTs on the PEC activity, the degradation experiments of RhB on the TNT, B/TNT, Co/TNT, and B–Co/TNT photoelectrodes were investigated and the rates of dye degradation of 46.8%, 63.4%, 73%, and 95.5% were obtained, respectively. This study demonstrated that doping B, Co, and B–Co ions into TNTs significantly increased the performance of PEC degradation of RhB.