Enhanced photoelectrocatalytic performance of TiO2 nanorod array under visible light irradiation: Synergistic effect of doping, heterojunction construction and cocatalyst deposition

In this work, three strategies were combined to increase the photoelectrocatalytic performance of TiO2 nanorod array under visible light irradiation. Firstly, niobium (Nb) doping improved the conductivity of TiO2 Secondly, CdS nanoparticles were deposited onto the TiO2 NRs by ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method, which enhanced absorption ability of the electrode in visible light region. Thirdly, cobalt phosphate (Co-Pi) served as cocatalysts were deposited on the surface of electrodes by photo-assisted electrodeposition. The resulting photoelectrode exhibited significantly enhanced photoelectrocatalytic performance with a photo-current of 4.2 mA at 1.23 V vs. RHE, which was 42 times as that of pure TiO2. At the same time, the stability of the photoelectrode was improved obviously.