Iron–tungsten/titania nanotube films for photoelectrochemical water splitting

ABSTRACT

Iron–tungsten/TiO₂ nanotube photoelectrodes have been synthesised by the anodisation process followed by the chemical bath deposition technique in this work. X-ray diffraction analysis, field emission scanning electron microscopy, UV–Vis, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and photoelectrochemical (PEC) measurements have been used to characterise these photoelectrodes. The ratio of the iron–tungsten deposited on TiO₂ nanotubes remarkably influences the PEC performance and the amount of hydrogen. The A1 photoelectrode showed the best PEC activity. The investigation of the recyclability of these new TiO₂ nanotubes indicated good stability of their photocatalytic activity. A simple method for the synthesis of high-performance PEC photoelectrodes with good stability and reliability has been provided by this work.

KEYWORDS:

• Film
• anodisation
• TiO₂ nanotubes
• photoelectrochemical
• iron
• tungsten

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.