Facile preparation of extremely photoactive boron-doped TiO2 nanotubes arrays

Doping of TiO2 nanotube arrays with boron was realized via electrochemical treatment of as-anodized titania immersed in electrolyte containing boric acid. The photoactivity of doped and pure titania was examined by means of photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic response under UV-vis irradiation. The results showed that photocurrent density of B-TNTs is remarkably higher (7.5 times) than density of pure TiO2 nanotube arrays. Furthermore, the usage of doped samples as a catalytic material leads to a significant improvement in decomposition efficiency of methylene blue and in the efficient formation of hydroxyl radicals than is the case in the presence of titania. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.