Performance Enhancement of Actual Wastewater Treatment and Electricity Generation Through Surface Modified TiO₂ Nanotube Arrays Based Photoanode Photocatalytic Fuel Cell

Abstract

Herein, we report a surface modified TiO2 nanowire arrays (NAs) photoanode based photocatalytic fuel cell (PFC) towards simultaneous enhancement of actual wastewater treatment and electricity generation under visible light irradiation. TiO2 NAs were facile fabricated via two-step anodization process in ethylene glycol and glycerin solution, respectively. Actual wastewater samples were directly applied to evaluate the PFC performance in terms of wastewater degradation and electricity generation through the as-prepared TiO2 NAs photoanode without loading noble-metals or semiconductors. TiO2 NAs photoanode prepared from ethylene glycol solution demonstrated a highly ordered surface network, exhibiting short-circuit current density and fill factor nearly 4.3 times and 1.4 times higher than pristine TiO2 NAs photoanode prepared according to previous reports. The experimental results revealed that the fabrication of TiO2 NAs by a facile surface modification in ethylene glycol solution can be considered a low-cost and scalable routine for enhancing performance of PFC photoanode towards efficient actual wastewater treatment and electricity generation.