Nanostructured TiO₂ Microrods with 3D Nanovoids for Green Photocatalysis - PEC Water Splitting

Titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) has been studied for several decades due to its versatility for a diverse range of applications. TiO 2 is robust, thermally stable, non-toxic, as well as inexpensive. One-dimensional (1D) TiO 2 nanostructures have attracted attention because of their unique optical and electronic properties.The first study of photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting on TiO 2 was reported in 1972 by Fujishima and Honda [1] showed that TiO 2 photoanode exhibits outstanding PEC properties, which may be utilized for the conversion of solar energy into chemical energy. It was known that TiO 2 could not be used in the visible light region and could only split water under UV light irradiation. The large band gap (3.0 -3.2 eV) is the reason why TiO 2 is transparent across the entire visible spectral range. The efficient photocatalysts which could produce electron-hole pairs under VIS light irradiation should be developed because VIS light occupied 43% of sunlight.