Preparation and Photoelectrochemical Properties of Mo/N Co-Doped TiO2 Nanotube Array Films

Mo/N co-doped TiO2 nanotube array films were obtained by a combination of magnetron sputtering and anodization. The influences of doping concentration and nanotube morphology on the structure, morphology, elemental composition, light-absorption capacity, and optoelectronic properties of TiO2 nanotubes were studied. The findings revealed that Mo was primarily incorporated into the TiO2 lattice in the Mo6+ valence state, while N was mainly embedded into the lattice as interstitial atoms. It was observed that when the sputtering power was 35 W for TiN target and 150 W for Mo-Ti target, the Mo/N co-doped TiO2 nanotube array films exhibited the best photovoltaic performance with a photogenerated current of 0.50 & mu;A/cm(2), which was 5.5 times of that of Mo-doped TiO2. The enhanced photocatalytic efficiency observed in Mo/N co-doped TiO2 nanotube array films can be ascribed to three main factors: an increase in the concentration of photogenerated electrons and holes, a reduction in the band gap width, and intense light absorption within the visible spectrum.

Automated summary

Mo/N co-doped TiO2 nanotube array films were prepared using magnetron sputtering and anodization. The effects of doping concentration and nanotube morphology on the structure, morphology, elemental composition, light-absorption capacity, and optoelectronic properties of TiO2 nanotubes were investigated. The results showed that Mo primarily incorporated into the TiO2 lattice in the Mo6+ valence state, while N was mainly embedded into the lattice as interstitial atoms. Also, the Mo/N co-doped TiO2 nanotube array films exhibited the best photovoltaic performance with a photogenerated current of 0.50 μA/cm(2), which was 5.5 times higher than that of Mo-doped TiO2. This enhancement in photocatalytic efficiency can be attributed to the increased concentration of photogenerated electrons and holes, reduced band gap width, and intense light absorption within the visible spectrum.