Effect of N,C-ITO on Composite N,C-TiO2N,C-ITOITO Electrode Used for Photoelectrochemical Degradation of Aqueous Pollutant with Simultaneous Hydrogen Production

Abstract EN

This study reports the effect of N,C-ITO (indium tin oxide) layer on composite N,C-TiO2/N,C-ITO/ITO (Ti/TO) electrode used for efficient photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) degradation of aqueous pollutant with simultaneous hydrogen production.

The structural properties of the composite Ti/TO electrode that determined by X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering, show primarily the crystallized anatase TiO2 phase and distinct diffraction patterns of polycrystalline In2O3 phase.

Under solar light illumination, the composite Ti/TO electrode yields simultaneously a hydrogen production rate of 12.0 μmol cm-2 h-1 and degradation rate constant of 12.6×10-3 cm-2 h-1 in organic pollutant.

It implies that the overlaid N,C-TiO2 layer enhances not only the photocurrent response of the composite Ti/TO electrode at entire applied potentials, but also the flat band potential; a shift of about 0.1 V toward cathode, which is desperately beneficial in the PEC process.

In light of the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy findings, these results are attributable partly to the synergetic effect of N,C-codoping into the TiO2 and ITO lattices on their band gap narrowing and photosensitizing as well.

Thus, the Ti/TO electrode can potentially serve an efficient PEC electrode for simultaneous pollutant degradation and hydrogen production.