Photocatalytic performance of V\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3eO\u3csub\u3e5\u3c/sub\u3e nanoparticles incorporated TiO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e nanotubes as a visible-light active photoelectrodefor water splitting

Abstract

Herein we demonstrate brief investigation results of photoelectrochemical performance of TiO2 nanotube (NT) based photoelectrode incorporated with V2O5 nanopaerticles (NP). Photoelectrodes were composed of TiO2 NTs with a diameter of 100 nm and length of 8µm,that were prepared by electrochemical anodization process at 35V in a formamade based electrolyte. The V2O5 nanoparticles were formed on the walls of the TiO2 NTs by deep coating technique with an average size of ∼5-10 nm. The V2O5NP incorporated TiO2NTs show superior light absorption properties in the visible light region up to ∼600 nm compared to the pristine TiO2NTs. It was found that V2O5 NPs formed vanadium impurities within TiO2 NTs which in its turn ceated acceptor levels of V3+ ions in the TiO2 NTs located deep in the forbidden band gap and provided additional absorption properties of visible light. These impurity levels also provide fast recombination sites of electrons and holes formed by photon excitation