Pt-coated TiO2 nanorods for photoelectrochemical water splitting applications

In this study, platinum Pt nanoparticles (NPs) layer was deposited on the surface of TiO2 nanorods (NRs) using a simple chemical process and its effects on the photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance for water splitting were examined using a variety of methods. Photocurrent measurements of the prepared samples indicated that modification of the TiO2 surface with a Pt NPs layer improved the PEC properties of the TiO2 photoelectrodes. In particular, the Pt-coated TiO2 NRs exhibited the highest photocurrent, approximately 1.86 higher than that of the bare TiO2 NRs. The enhanced of PEC properties of the Pt-coated TiO2 sample compared to the bare TiO2 were attributed mainly to the enhanced separation efficiency of photogenerated electron-holes pairs and surface plasmon resonance SPR effects of deposited Pt NPs layer. (C) 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.