TiO2 photoanodes for electrically enhanced water splitting

Enhancement of photoelectrochemical activity for water splitting by controlling hydrodynamic conditions on titanium anodization

“…These values for the compact TiO 2 film and for the different nanostructures are also shown in to a larger band bending and electrical field within the depleted space charge layer [22,26,37]. Therefore, from the point of view of the charge recombination probability, these results indicate that this probability is lower in the case of the nanosponges.…”

On the redox behaviour of glycerol at TiO2 electrodes

“…This kind of structures, already used in our laboratory to catalyse the photo-electrosplitting of water [10,19], guarantee high specific area and high effectiveness in exploiting the light, when used as photoanodes. Depending on the operative conditions adopted in the fabrication of the nanostructures, photo-currents up to 20 times higher than those measured at compact TiO 2 films were obtained [10]. As it will be shown later, under the conditions adopted in the present work, ratios of at least 7 and 10 between photo-currents at nanotubular and compact electrodes was measured in KOH solution, and in the presence of G, respectively.…”

“…As an example, Augugliaro et al [8] reported the photo-oxidation of glycerol in aqueous suspension in presence of TiO 2 in the anatase and rutile phase for the production of 1-3-dihydroxyacetone, glyceraldehyde and formic acid. Furthermore, recent studies demonstrated the possibility of obtaining hydrogen by photo-or photo-electrocatalytic splitting of water in presence of biomass compounds, such as glycerol [9,10].…”

Hydrogen Production by Photoreforming of Renewable Substrates

“…Finally, morphology also showed important, especially when 1D nanostructures have been developed, such as nanotubes and nanowires [63][64][65][66]. The higher photocatalytic activity of such systems is usually attributed to the high surface area combined with the short diffusion path of the photoexcited species across the bulk to reach the surface, where the reactants are adsorbed [66].…”