Electrochemical Synthesis of TiO2 Photocatalyst with Anodic Porous Alumina

Abstract

Aluminum was anodized in a H 2 SO 4 solution, and titanium (IV) oxide (TiO 2 ) was electrodeposited into nanopores of anodic porous alumina in a mixed solution of TiOSO 4 and (COOH) 2 . The photocatalytic activity of the prepared film was analyzed for photodegradation of methylene blue aqueous solution. Consequently, we found it was possible to electrodeposit TiO 2 onto anodic porous alumina, and synthesized it into the nanopores by hydrolysis of a titanium complex ion under AC 8-9 V when film thickness was about 15-20 µm. The photocatalytic activity of TiO 2 -loaded anodic porous alumina (TiO 2 /Al 2 O 3 ) at an impressed voltage of 9 V was the highest in every condition, being about 12 times as high as sol-gel TiO 2 on anodic porous alumina. The results revealed that anodic porous alumina is effective as a substrate for photocatalytic film and that high-activity TiO 2 film can be prepared at low cost.