Ti Foil Research Articles

Flexible perylenediimide/GaN organic\u2013inorganic hybrid system with exciting optical and interfacial properties

We report the band gap tuning and facilitated charge transport at perylenediimide (PDI)/GaN interface in organic–inorganic hybrid nanostructure system over flexible titanium (Ti) foil. Energy levels of the materials perfectly align and facilitate high efficiency charge transfer from electron rich n-GaN to electron deficient PDI molecules. Proper interface formation resulted in band gap tuning as well as facilitated electron transport as evident in I–V characteristics. Growth of PDI/GaN hybrid system with band gap tuning from ultra-violet to visible region and excellent electrical properties open up new paradigm for fabrication of efficient optoelectronics devices on flexible substrates.

(Invited) Pt/Metal Oxide/Ti and Pt/Metal Oxide/Carbon Composite Films for Ethanol Oxidation

Metal oxides prepared by thermal decomposition of metal acetylacetonate (acac) complexes have a significant support effect on platinum catalyzed oxidation of ethanol. Ru and Sn oxides and mixed Ru-Sn oxides deposited onto Ti foils and high surface area carbon support materials were drop coated with preformed Pt nanoparticles. Cyclic voltammetry in H2SO4(aq) and polarization experiments in proton exchange membrane cells have demonstrated great versatility for screening the co-catalytic effects of oxide layers and scale-up to fuel cell testing. A strong synergistic effect has been observed between Ru and Sn oxide in both environments, with a 2:1 ratio of Ru(acac)3 to Sn(acac)2 ratio in the oxide precursor solution producing the most active catalyst. Electrodes prepared by using Pb(acac)2, In(acac)3 and MoO2(acac)2 also provided substantially enhanced activities for ethanol oxidation.

Ultrafine CoP/Co2P Nanorods Encapsulated in Janus/Twins-type Honeycomb 3D Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanosheets for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution.

SummaryIn this study, we report a Janus- or twins-type honeycomb 3D porous nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) nanosheet array encapsulating ultrafine CoP/Co2P nanorods supported on Ti foil (CoP/Co2P@NC/Ti) as a self-supported electrode for efficient hydrogen evolution. The synthesis and formation mechanism of 3D porous NC nanosheet array assembled into a honeycomb layer with ultrafine CoP/Co2P single-crystal nanorods encapsulated is systematically presented. The CoP/Co2P@NC/Ti electrode exhibits low overpotentials (η10) of 31, 49, and 64 mV at a current density of −10 mA cm−2 in 0.5 M H2SO4, 1.0 KOH, and 1.0 M PBS, respectively, exceeding the overwhelming majority of the documented transition metal phosphide-based electrocatalysts. Density functional theory calculation reveals that the superior electrocatalytic performance for hydrogen evolution reaction could be ascribed to the strong coupling effects of the reactive facets of CoP and Co2P with the 3D porous NC nanosheet, making it exhibit a more thermo-neutral hydrogen adsorption free energy.

Thermally tuneable optical and electrochemical properties of Au-Cu nanomosaic formed over the host titanium dimples

Au-Cu nanostructures offer unique optical and catalytic properties unlike the monometallic ones resulting from the specific interaction. Among others, they have the ability to exhibit surface plasmon resonance, electrochemical activity towards the oxygen and hydrogen evolution reaction (OER, HER) as well as improved photoresponse in relation to monometalic but those properties depend highly on the substrate where bimetallic structures are immobilized.In this work, bimetallic gold-copper mosaics over the conducting structured titanium substrate were fabricated via following steps: anodization of Ti foil, chemical etching of as-formed titania resulting in nanodimpled Ti substrate (TiND), sputtering of thin metal layer (Au, Cu) in various sequences, and finally thermal treatment in furnace at 450 °C or 600 °C. The morphology, optical and structural properties were investigated in details and it was shown that both arrangements of metallic films and thermal conditions strongly affect the morphology and optical features. The XPS results confirmed the presence of gold-copper alloys and copper oxide species. Last but not least, the electrochemical activities were verified in 0.1 M NaOH using cyclic voltammetry and linear voltammetry measurements performed in dark and under visible light illumination. Among all investigated materials in both anodic and cathodic regimes bimetallic 5Au/5Cu sample annealed at 450 °C exhibits the highest response towards OER and HER, respectively. This is further boosted by the light with λ > 420 nm. Upon exposure to visible light, the current density for 5Au/5Cu and 5Cu/5Au electrodes reached 1.32 mA cm−2 and 1.26 mA cm−2, respectively, while in the case of monometallic structures the current was below 10 μA cm−2. Both optical and electrochemical behaviour indicate a strong synergistic effect arising within the bimetallic mosaic formed over the TiND.

L-phenylalanine-imprinted polydopamine-coated CdS/CdSe n-n type II heterojunction as an ultrasensitive photoelectrochemical biosensor for the PKU monitoring

A simple and highly sensitive photoelectrochemical biosensor towards L-phenylalanine, as a kind of typical essential amino acid and phenylketonuria biomarker was developed on a surface molecular imprinted (MIP) polydopamine-coated CdS/CdSe/Zn heterojunction. Hierarchical marigold flower-like Zn layer decorated by n-type dichalcogenides interfacial heterojunction was successfully designed and synthesized on Ti foil for PEC converter by in situ electrodeposition. A visible-light-driven molecular imprinting film was prepared through the electropolymerization of dopamine in the presence of L-Phe as biomarker. The combination of bio-MIP and photoelectrochemistry overcomes the defects of the PEC method, which is the absence of selectivity, and offers a new PEC sensor with high sensitivity and selectivity based on visible-light-driven heterojunction and biopolymer-enhanced strategy. The unique interfacial between the Zn marigold flower layer as low work function support and CdS/CdSe n-n heterojunction as well as n-type characteristics of polydopamine imprinted by L-Phe biomarker drastically increase the light trapping and absorption in the visible range, and dramatically inhibit the charge carrier recombination, which is crucial for boosting the Bio-PEC activity. Photocatalytic, electrocatalytic and physicochemical properties of the above-mentioned layers were fully characterized. As-prepared PEC biosensor displayed superb performance for the detection of L-Phe biomarker in the optimized condition obtained from central composite design modeling, showing two linear range 0.005–2.5 and 2.5–130 μM and a low detection limit of 0.9 nM. This work suggests that such L-Phe-imprinted polydopamine-coated Zn/CdS/CdSe heterojunction is greatly promising for being applied in photoelectrochemical biosensing with high photo-electron conversion efficiency.

Ag-modified hydrogen titanate nanowire arrays for stable lithium metal anode in a carbonate-based electrolyte

Abstract In the investigation of the next-generation battery anode, Li metal has attracted increasing attention owing to its ultrahigh specific capacity and low reduction potential. However, its low columbic efficiency, limited cycling life, and serious safety hazards have hindered the practical application of rechargeable Li metal batteries. Although several strategies have been proposed to enhance the electrochemical performance of Li metal anodes, most are centered around ether-based electrolytes, which are volatile and do not provide a sufficiently large voltage window. Therefore, we aimed to attain stable Li deposition/stripping in a commercial carbonate-based electrolyte. Herein, we have successfully synthesized hydrogen titanate (HTO) nanowire arrays decorated with homogenous Ag nanoparticles (NPs) (Ag@HTO) via simple hydrothermal and silver mirror reactions. The 3D cross-linked array structure with Ag NPs provides preferable nucleation sites for uniform Li deposition, and most importantly, when assembled with the commercial LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 cathode material, the Ag@HTO could maintain a capacity retention ratio of 81.2% at 1 C after 200 cycles, however the pristine Ti foil failed to do so after only 60 cycles. Our research therefore reveals a new way of designing current collectors paired with commercial high voltage cathodes that can create high energy density Li metal batteries.

H2Ti3O7 nanowires as a high-performance photocatalytic and surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrate

In the present work, we reported one kind of photocatalytic and surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrate, H2Ti3O7 nanowires, which prepared on the Ti foil by the hydrothermal and ion‐exchange methods. The morphologies, crystal structures, chemical compositions, optical properties of the as-prepared substrates investigated via the different kinds of characterization techniques. H2Ti3O7 nanowires revealed remarkably enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity for the degradation of rhodamine 6 G solution compared to Na2Ti3O7 nanowires, TiO2 nanowires, and commercial photocatalysts (TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles). These results attributed to the H2Ti3O7 nanowires with a higher concentration of oxygen vacancies can enhance the visible-light absorbance, resulting in the higher photocatalytic activity under the visible-light irradiation. The radical-trapping test shows that holes and hydroxyl radicals played central roles in rhodamine 6 G photodegradation. The deposition of Ag nanoparticles on the H2Ti3O7 nanowires can also use as a highly sensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrate for detecting rhodamine 6 G solution with a concentration as low as 10−9 M by the ion-sputtering system.

Improved photocatalytic efficacy of TiO2 open nanotube arrays: A view by XAS

Highly ordered TiO2 nanotube (TiNT) arrays were prepared on Ti foil. The interfacial caps between nanotube bottom and Ti foil were gradually removed by oxalic acid. The removal of caps in TiNT is known to enhance its light-harvesting capability, increase the carrier transfer, and cause effective dissociation of electron-hole pairs. The electronic and local atomic structures of TiNT at different oxalicacid immersion time were investigated by XAS. Notably, the reported enhanced light harvesting and electron collecting efficiencies in both-end open TiNT, could be strongly correlated with charge redistribution in Ti 3d orbital and structural defect. An increase in Ti 3d unoccupied states due to increase in Ti4+/Ti3+ ratio followed by a decrease in oxygen vacancy at the closed-end bottom caps after 16 h oxalicacid immersion might be one of the reasons for enhanced efficiency of both end open TiNT against one end open tube. EXAFS analysis revealed an increase in CN number and Ti–O bond length, which results in the formation of disordered TiO6 Oh symmetry that would possibly enhance the lattice phonons and eventually the efficiency of TiNT. This is one of the fundamental reasons for the improved photocatalytic properties for both-end open TiNT against closed bottom-end nanotubes.

Activation of carbon cloth and concurrent precipitation of titania nanowires for enhanced adsorption and photocatalysis performance

Vertically aligned TiO2 nanowires exhibit excellent photoactivity because of the high specific surface area and increased charge separation; yet the limited adsorption capacity towards target pollutants hinders the photocatalytic degradation of pollutants in water. We report herein a mild solution approach to precipitate anatase TiO2 nanowire arrays, with a tunable thickness of 1.5–4.5 μm, on carbon cloth to achieve simultaneously high adsorption capacity and excellent photoactivity. When compared with TiO2 nanowire arrays precipitated on metallic Ti substrates, which possess a negligible adsorption capacity, TiO2 nanowires loaded on the activated carbon cloth substrates exhibit a higher efficiency towards photocatalytic degradations of both rhodamine B dye molecules and colorless sulfosalicylic acid in water under UV light illumination. The increasing film thickness is more effective to increase the photoactivity of TiO2 nanowires loaded on the activated carbon cloth than those on metallic Ti foil. The current investigation establishes the feasibility to greatly improve the photoactivity of one-dimensional nanostructured TiO2 arrays by using a highly adsorptive substrate.

Thermochemical method of synthesizing stemmed nanoflower TiO2/eC3N4 heterojunction structures with enhanced solar water splitting

TiO2 nanoflower array linking to stem on a Ti foil is synthesized by thermochemical digestion of titanium at 80 °C by hydrogen peroxide and hydrofluoric acid solution. TiO2 nanoflower comprised of the anatase TiO2 which encased Ti metal core as seen by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), x-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy based depth profiling, x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and energy dispersive x-ray based elemental mapping. The TEM, selected area electron diffraction, and XRD analysis of air annealed TiO2 nanoflower show presence of anatase (101) and anatase (200) crystals of about 35 nm size. The Photoelectrochemical activity in water splitting is assessed for heterojunction formed by the TiO2 nanoflower with exfoliated carbon nitride (eC3N4), and the same is compared with heterojunction of TiO2 nanotubular array and eC3N4. It was found from linear sweep voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy that the synthesized stemmed-nanoflower TiO2 offers superior PEC activity towards water splitting when used in heterojunction with eC3N4 as compared to that of TiO2 nanotube with eC3N4.

Intrinsic properties of high-aspect ratio single- and double-wall anodic TiO2 nanotube layers annealed at different temperatures

In this work, we present the influence of thermal annealing on morphological, structural, electrical, optical, and photoelectrochemical properties of double- (DW) and single-wall (SW) TiO2 nanotube (TNT) layers. High-aspect ratio TNT layers with a thickness of ∼5 μm and ∼20 μm with an average inner diameter of ∼250 nm and ∼130 nm, respectively, were prepared via electrochemical anodization of Ti foil in two different fluoride containing ethylene glycol-based electrolytes. The inner wall of the native DW TNT layers was quantitatively removed via a mild pre-annealing followed by a selective etching treatment in piranha solution, yielding SW TNT layers. The obtained SW TNT layers annealed at 300–500 °C possess enhanced conductivity by 1–2 orders compared to their DW counterparts. The photoelectrochemical properties of SW TNT layers are enhanced compared to their DW counterparts in the annealing temperature range 300–800 °C. In principle, the SW TNT layers could be potentially favored to the DW TNT layers in electrical and photoelectrochemical applications due to their more superior intrinsic properties.

Electrosynthesis of glycine from bio-derivable oxalic acid

Electrochemical hydrogenation of non-fossil resources to produce value added chemicals has great potential to contribute to realization of sustainable material supply. We previously demonstrated that TiO2 catalyzed electrochemical reduction of biomass-derivable α-keto acid in the presence of NH3 or NH2OH affords amino acids. In this work, we focused on oxalic acid, which is producible by chemical degradation of agro wastes, as a starting material for the electrosynthesis of an amino acid. We examined the electrocatalytic properties of various materials, including Cu, Pt, Ti foils, calcined Al, Co, Mo, Nb, Ni, Ti, V, W, Zr foils, and some TiO2 catalysts, by conducting linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) measurements, and found that Mo and Ti foil calcined at 450 °C show favorable catalytic features for the one-step glycine electrosynthesis from oxalic acid and NH2OH. Electrochemical reduction of oxalic acid at an applied potential of − 0.7 V using calcined Ti foil resulted in formation of glycine and glyoxylic acid oxime, i.e., intermediate of the glycine formation, with moderate Faradaic efficiency of 28 and 28%, respectively.

Comparison of ZrO2, TiO2, and α-Fe2O3 nanotube arrays on Cr(VI) photoreduction fabricated by anodization of Zr, Ti, and Fe foils

This paper presents the fabrication of self-organized ZrO2, TiO2, and α-Fe2O3 nanotube arrays by anodization of Zr, Ti, and Fe foils, respectively in fluoride-containing EG electrolyte at 40 V for 20 min. The as-anodized nanotubes were annealed in a tube furnace at 400 °C for 3 h to induce the crystallization of the oxide film. Morphology, crystal structure, surface properties, and optical properties of the anodic ZrO2 nanotubes (ZNTs), TiO2 nanotubes (TNTs), and α-Fe2O3 nanotubes (FNTs) were characterized by Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), x-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, and UV–visible Near-Infrared Diffuse Reflectance Spectra (UV–vis NIR DRS) spectroscopy, respectively. Based on the FESEM and TEM micrographs, ZNTs possessed the longest nanotubes (i.e. 9.6 μm) compared with TNTs and FNTs under the same anodization condition. The aspect ratio of the nanotubes can be arranged in the order of ZNTs > FNTs > TNTs. The surface of the annealed ZNTs, FNTs, and TNTs was enriched with –OH groups to facilitate the Cr(VI) adsorption. According to the UV–vis NIR DRS spectra, strong visible light absorption was observed on the FNTs due to their low band gap. Whereas, the TNTs predominantly absorbs the UV light at λmax = 360 nm. Rapid Cr(VI) removal was observed on FNTs, i.e. 100% after 2 h activated by sunlight with negligible Cr(VI) removal for ZNTs and TNTs. When exposed to UVC (λ = 254 nm), only 39% versus 37% Cr(VI) removal efficiencies were obtained on TNTs and ZNTs after 3 h suggesting sluggish electron transfer due to rapid charge carriers recombination as evident in the PL spectra.

Synthesis of Anodic TiO2 Nanotube Arrays Annealed at 700°C for UV Photodetector

Anodic titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanotube arrays on Ti foil were synthesized using electrochemical anodization technique and annealed at 700 °C without annihilating the nanotubular assemblies. The nanotubular structure was used to fabricate UV photodetection device based on Metal-Semiconductor-Metal. The photodetection device exhibited UV-sensitive photoresponse characteristics due to the mixed anatase and rutile phases of the TiO2 nanotube arrays. The photoresponse analysis showed good sensitivity to UV light irradiation with excellent stability and reproducibility. Moreover, the UV photodetector revealed the current gain is 7, response time is 0.77 s and decay time is 0.79 s, respectively at biased voltage 4 V. As mentioned above, the UV photodetector based on mixture of anatase and rutile phase nanotube arrays is a recommended nano-optoelectronic apparatus that is remarkably applicable over Ultraviolet band.

(Invited) Pt/Metal Oxide/Ti and Pt/Metal Oxide/Carbon Composite Films for Ethanol Oxidation

Metal oxides such as RuO2 and SnO2 can promote the oxidation of organic fuels at Pt nanoparticles in a number of ways. These include changing the d-band level of the Pt via electron transfer (electronic effect) and providing surface –OH functionality for the oxidation of adsorbed CO (bifunctional effect) [1]. Carbon black coated with a mixture of Ru and Sn oxides has been shown to increase the activity of Pt for ethanol oxidation without a significant loss of selectivity for its complete oxidation to CO2 [2].Here we report on the use of various mixed metal oxide composites prepared by thermal decomposition of metal acetylacetonate complexes (M(acac)n). Oxide layers were deposited onto Ti foil and high surface area carbon electrodes, and drop coated with preformed Pt nanoparticles. Cyclic voltammetry in H2SO4(aq) and polarization experiments in a proton exchange membrane cell were used to study the co-catalytic effects of the oxide layers. The use of acetylacetonate precursors provides a versatile method for screening libraries of oxide supported catalysts, as well as the production and screening of electrodes for fuel cells.Initially, decomposition of Ru(acac)3 and Sn(acac)2 and their mixtures on Ti foil electrodes was investigated. These experiments reproduced the effects previously observed with oxide layers deposited on glassy carbon from KRuO4 and SnCl4 [3]. Deposits formed from both complexes increased the activity for ethanol oxidation of Pt nanoparticles drop coated onto their surfaces, while use of mixtures produced a strong synergistic effect. Deposits formed by thermal decomposition of a variety of other acac complexes, including Ga(acac)3, Zr(acac)4, and In(acac)3, also increased the activity of Pt nanoparticles for ethanol oxidation.Mixed Ru+Sn oxides were also produced by thermal decomposition of Ru(acac)3 and Sn(acac)2 on carbon black, in order to better characterize the oxide deposits and produce catalysts that could be used in fuel cells. X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry confirmed the presence of a mixed oxide. Preformed Pt nanoparticles were adsorbed onto the oxide coated carbon, supported on carbon fiber paper, and the resulting electrodes were evaluated for ethanol oxidation in a proton exchange membrane cell at 80 °C. Acknowledgments: This work was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Memorial University.[1] G.M. Alvarenga, H.M. Villullas, Current Opinion in Electrochemistry, 2017, 4, 39-44[2] D.D. James, R.B. Moghaddam, B. Chen, P.G. Pickup, Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 2018, 165, F215-F219[3] R. B. Moghaddam and P. G. Pickup, Electrochim. Acta, 2012, 65, 210– 215

Electropolishing and anodization of titanium in water/ethylene glycol baths for the production of TiO2 nanotubes

A greener methodology to grow TiO2 nanotubes in a non-corrosive, low-hazard, fluoride-free ethylene glycol/water electrolytic bath is presented. Results demonstrate that the formation of nanostructures by anodization of Ti foils in NaCl solutions requires glycol/water solutions with water contents (> 50%) and moderate voltages (< 30 V). Nanotube growth was dependent on the surface characteristics; anodization performed on mechanically polished surfaces showed that randomly oriented nanotubes grow on pits while vertically oriented TiO2 nanotubes were obtained on electropolished surfaces. An electropolishing methodology was developed to obtain surfaces with submicrometer roughness that favours the growth control of vertically oriented TiO2 nanotubes.

Anodic oxidation growth of lanthanum/manganese-doped TiO2 nanotube arrays for photocatalytic degradation of various organic dyes

Lanthanum/manganese-doped TiO2 nanotube arrays (La/Mn-TNAs) can provide a greater catalytic area and possess stronger photocatalytic activity than TiO2 nanotubes (Li et al. in Nano Res 8(3):900–906, (2015)). Due to the wide band gap, TiO2′s capacity to capture visible light is low, and TiO2 (3.2 eV) can only absorb ultraviolet light. To resolve this issue, most researchers doped TiO2 with nitrogen. In this paper, we doped transition metal ions and rare earth metal ions in TiO2 nanotube arrays to decrease their band gaps, improving the activities of photocatalysts. In addition, La/Mn-TNAs were obtained by anodizing a Ti foil in the electrolyte. Additionally, the photocatalytic activity of the sample was evaluated by analyzing the degradation rate of organic pollutants. As a result, when the Ti foil was anodic oxidation for 3 h and contained 4.8 wt% of lanthanum and manganese, it could degrade organic dyes entirely in 60 min and the degradation rate of organic dyes was over 95%. Thus, La/Mn-TNAs can satisfy people’s requirement of rapid degradation of organic pollutants.

Modification of Ti foils irradiated by intense heavy ion beams

ABSTRACT Modification of Ti foils irradiated by intense energetic heavy ion (HI) beams in long-term experiments has been considered. The experiments on the synthesis of superheavy nuclei, which are carried out in Dubna with a gas-filled recoil separator (DGFRS), determine the conditions of such experiments. High intensities of HIs passing through a relatively small area and thickness of the foils, as well as their heating by a beam, are inherent in such experiments. The ability of the foils to withstand radiation damages, sputtering, and evaporation of atoms becomes questionable. All the processes seem to be dependent on temperature, and none of them is independent of the others, but they can be considered separately. In this work, sputtering yields are estimated on the grounds of available models and experimental data and compared with the results of measurements carried out to verify the estimates. The foil temperature, in turn, can be estimated in the conditions of pulse heating followed by subsequent cooling with radiation emitted from their surfaces. These conditions correspond to the rotating Ti entrance window irradiated by a continuous HI beam in the DGFRS experiments.

Fabrication of platinum thin films for ultra-high electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction

While the noble metals (e.g., platinum, (Pt)) remain the benchmark electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), their mass production require a reduced metal loading and faster fabrication protocols. The aim of the present work is to prepare Pt thin films by simple and fast fabrication technique, and to evaluate their performance for HER. The thin films of Pt are grown on two substrates, namely titanium foil (Ti) and nickel foam (NF), using a single step aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition (AACVD) method. The film deposition time are varied from 20 to 60 min. Microscopic analyses suggest a gradual evolution of the films into percolated and/or porous nanostructures, a feature that remains highly desired to allow the maximum access of active sites. The performance of the as-prepared electrodes is evaluated by monitoring the HER in acidic electrolyte. The Pt film on nickel foam (Pt/NF) exhibits better electrical conductivity and smaller charge transfer resistance, while the film deposited on the Ti foil (Pt/Ti) demonstrates superior catalytic activity per active sites. The as-prepared Pt/Ti and Pt/NF electrodes produce 10 mA cm−2 at overpotential of 28 mV and 26 mV, respectively, better in performance than commercial Pt/C electrode (~39 mV), set a new bench mark electrocatalyst for the HER.

Enhancing hydrogen evolution by photoelectrocatalysis of water splitting over a CdS flowers-loaded TiO2 nanotube array film on the Ti foil substrate

This study is devoted to the scalable fabrication of a high-performance composite photocatalyst by incorporation of the visible-light-active CdS flowers (with sharp edges exposed) onto a TiO2 nanotube array (TNA) film on the Ti foil substrate. To evaluate the visible-light-harvesting performance of the prepared hierarchical architecture consisting of the CdS flowers, TNAs, and Ti foil, we subsequently assembled a photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell with membrane electrode assemblies fabricated innovatively by thermocompression. The CdS flowers can efficiently harvest the visible light energy, while TiO2 collects photoelectrons, effectively separating of the photoexcited electron-hole pairs and hence enhancing the photocatalysis efficiency in the photoelectrochemical conversion and yield of hydrogen production from water splitting. An impressive hydrogen production rate of 22.44 μmol▪h−1▪cm−2 was obtained in the PEC cell with the CdS flowers-sensitized TNA film under simulated solar light with an active irradiation area of around 42 cm2, thus showing great potential for practical applications.