Nonstoichiometric In2O3 nanorods/black Ti-Ni-O nanotubes heterojunction photoanode for high-efficiency photoelectrochemical water splitting

摘要

Here we report photocatalytic application of heterojunction based on In2O3 nanorods decorated black Ti-Ni-O nanotubes. Black Ti-Ni-O nanotubes were fabricated through tin metal reduction reaction with the as-annealed Ti-Ni-O samples. Structural, morphological and optical properties of the heterostructure were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra techniques. Nonstoichiometric defects caused by oxygen vacancies in both the In2O3 and the Ti-Ni-O oxides could improve both the visible and infrared absorption, and thus effectively enhance the photocatalytic performance. The heterostructure photoanodes could yield a photocurrent density of 5.32 mA/cm(2) at 0 V vs. Ag/AgCl in 1 M KOH and a remarkable photoconversion efficiency of 3.18% at -0.52 V vs. Ag/AgCl. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.