SURFACE CHARACTERISATION AND PHOTOCATALYTIC REACTIVITY OF INNOVATIVE Ti/TiO2 AND Ti/Pt-TiO2 MESH PHOTOELECTRODES

Novel Ti/TiO2 and Ti/Pt-TiO2 mesh photoelectrodes were produced by anodising titanium mesh in H2SO4 solution. Their structural and surface morphology were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The analytical results indicated that the crystal structure, morphology and pore size were affected significantly by the voltage and current density applied in anodisation and the percentage of platinum content. The results of XPS measurement showed that the binding energy of O 1s and Ti 2p increased slightly owing to platinum deposition (Pt0, Pt2+ and Pt4+) onto the surface of TiO2. The photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) oxidation of methyl orange in aqueous solution using the Ti/TiO2 and Ti/Pt-TiO2 meshes This is the Pre-Published Version. was investigated respectively. The experimental results demonstrated that Ti/TiO2 mesh prepared at 160V and 110mA cm-2 achieved the best PEC oxidation. The efficiency of PEC oxidation could be further enhanced by applying an electrical bias between the working electrode and counter electrode. An optimal electrical bias voltage was found to be 0.6V, while an optimal platinum content was 3.37%. 1