PREPARATION OF NANO-TUBULAR TITANIA SUBSTRATES HAVING GOLD AND CARBON PARTICLES DEPOSITED THEREON AND THEIR USE IN PHOTO-ELECTROLYSIS OF WATER

摘要

The invention relates to a method of making a nanotubular titania substrate having a titanium dioxide surface comprised of a plurality of vertically oriented titanium dioxide nanotubes containing oxygen vacancies. The method generally comprises the steps of anodizing a titanium metal substrate in an acidified fluoride electrolyte under conditions sufficient to form a titanium oxide surface comprised of self-ordered titanium oxide nanotubes, dispersing gold nanoparticles onto the titanium oxide surface, annealing the titanium oxide surface with the gold nanoparticles thereon in a non-oxidizing atmosphere, and depositing carbon onto the annealed titanium oxide surface. The invention also relates to a hybrid gold/carbon electrode formed by the method. The invention further relates to a photo-electrolysis method for generating H₂ comprising the step of irradiating a photo-anode and a photo-cathode with light under conditions suitable to generate H₂, wherein the photo-anode is a nanotubular titania substrate having gold and carbon deposits.