Super-long aligned TiO 2 /carbon nanotube arrays Super-long aligned TiO 2 /carbon nanotube arrays

Abstract

Abstract 5 mm long aligned titanium oxide/carbon nanotube (TiO 2 /CNT) coaxial nanowire arrays have been prepared by electrochemically coating the constituent CNTs with a uniform layer of highly crystalline anatase TiO 2 nanoparticles. While the presence of the TiO 2 coating was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction, the resultant TiO 2 /CNT coaxial arrays were demonstrated to exhibit minimized recombination of photoinduced electron-hole pairs and fast electron transfer from the long TiO 2 /CNT arrays to external circuits. This, in conjunction with the aligned macrostructure, facilitates the fabrication of TiO 2 /CNT arrays for various device applications, ranging from photodetectors to photocatalytic systems. Thus, the millimeter long TiO 2 /CNT arrays represent a significant advance in the development of new macroscopic photoelectronic nanomaterials attractive for a variety of device applications beyond those demonstrated in this study