Synthesis and Photochemical Properties of Monolithic TiO₂ Nanowires Diode

In this paper, the structural and photochemical properties of a monolithic photochemical diode are discussed. The present structure is composed, from the top to the bottom, of a TiO₂ nanowire layer, a TiO₂ film, a Ti foil, and a porous layer made of Pt nanoparticles. The synthesis of the nanowires was simply carried out by Au-catalysed-assisted process; the effects of the annealing temperature and time were deeply investigated. Morphological and structural characterizations were performed by scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The analyses showed the rutile structure of the TiO₂ nanowires. The photocatalytic properties were studied through the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under UV light irradiation. The nanowires induced an enhancement of the photo-degradation rate, compared to TiO₂ in a bulk form, due to an increase in the surface area. Moreover, the presence of a nano-porous Pt layer deposited on the rear side of the samples provided a further increase in the MB degradation rate, related to the scavenging effect of Pt nanoparticles. The overall increment of the photo-activity, due to the nano-structuration of the TiO₂ and to the presence of the Pt layer, resulted a factor 7, compared to the bulk reference. In addition, photovoltage measurements allowed to assess the effects of TiO₂ nano-structuration and Pt nanoparticles on the electron accumulation.