Photoelectrochemical properties of sol-gel-derived Ti1-xVxO2 solid solution film photoelectrodes

Ti1-xV1O2 solid solution film photoelectrodes were prepared by the dip-coating sol-gel method. X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were employed to ensure the formation of the solid solution and their composition. Obvious photoresponses were observed in the visible region for the solid solution film electrodes with xgreater than or equal to0.05 and the red shift of the photoresponse was enhanced with increasing x. Moreover, the solid solution film electrodes were found to be photoelectrochemically stable. However, the onset potential of photocurrent shifted positively with increasing x. Band model of the solid solution was suggested to explain the effects of the vanadium incorporation on the photoelectrochemical proper-ties. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.