Electrochemically assisted photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange using anodized titanium dioxide nanotubes

The TiO2 nanotubes have demonstrated potential in the photoelectrocatalytic degradation of methyl orange dye (MO). TiO2 nanotubes were prepared using anodization of titanium foils in phosphoric acid (PA) and ethylene glycol (EG) by mechanical stirring and ultrasonic method. The TiO2 nanotubes prepared in EG under ultrasound followed by annealing in nitrogen atmosphere showed higher activity towards dye degradation as compared to the stirring method. Dye degradation shows improved activity under an external bias compared to degradation performed in the absence of an external bias. An increase in the external bias from +0.0 to +0.1 V versus calomel electrode (SCE) is sufficient to improve the degradation rates of MO from 22% to 57% within the first 10 min. At +0.1 V, a complete degradation of 40 μM MO is observed within 30 min. The addition of oxidants such as oxygen and hydrogen peroxide demonstrate improvement in the MO degradation.