Role of water content in anodization of titanium to fabricate TiO2 nanotubes and its properties

摘要

The effect of water content in anodization of Ti foil on photoelectrochemical activity of TiO2 nanotubes fabricated were studied and optimized. The mixed phase of TiO2 was confirmed from X-ray diffraction and their morphological changes with respect to increase in water content were analyzed using High Resolution Scanning Electron Microscope. The optical band gap of TiO2 can be effectively tuned from 3.023(2) to 2.601(7) eV by varying the water content in anodization. The maximum photocurrent density of 2.5 mA/cm2 was observed for the TiO2 sample with higher crystallinity. These results suggest that the higher crystallinity with ordered nanotubes and lesser band gap act as a key role in improving the photoelectrochemical activity of TiO2.