Effect of reaction temperature on morphology and photoelectrochemical performance of titanium dioxide

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is best photoanode for photoelectrochemical water splitting. Here, the effect of reaction temperature on titanium dioxide nanorods is studied via a hydrothermal synthesis method. The results reveal the reaction temperature has high impact on morphology, bandgap and photoelectrochemical properties. The photoelectrochemical performance of TiO2 is enhanced as reaction temperature increase. When reaction temperature increases from 130℃ to 180℃, the photocurrent density and hydrogen generation increase from 0.65 mA/cm2, 72.49 μmol/cm2 to 1.84 mA/cm2, 126.86 μmol/cm2 respectively These results suggest the potential for the synthesis and usage of transition metal oxides/sulfides for efficient photoelectrochemical hydrogen production.