Synthesis and Characterization Anodized Titania Nanotubes for Enhancing Hydrogen Production

Abstract

Pure and doped Titania nanotubes (TiO2 NTs) photoanodes were fabricated by means of anodization method. The anodization was carried out in electrolytes prepared by mixing ethylene glycol (EG), ammonium fluoride (0.3 wt % NH4F) and deionized water (2 Vol % H2O) with different concentrations of dopant Fe (NO3)3∙9H2O. A constant dc power supply of 50 V was used as anodic voltage. The samples were annealed at 450 °C for 2 hours. The resultant products were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) to determine their microstructures when TiO2 NTs were doped with different amounts of Fe atoms. The diameters of TiO2 NTs were about 60-120 nm. The highest density of TiO2 NTs was obtained when the nanotubes were doped with 0.01 M of Fe. The photocatalytic activity was examined without external applied potential. The maximum photocurrent density was 3.0 mA/cm2 under illumination of 100 mW/cm2.