Solvent Effects on the Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation Behaviour of TiO 2 Semiconductors

Abstract The present report describes the synthesis and characterization of TiO 2 thin film semiconductor using titanium isopropoxide dispersed in different solvents like ethylene glycol (EG), glycerol, acetonitrile, dimethyl formamide, dimethyl sulphoxide and water followed by annealing at 600°C in air on the In-doped tin oxide (ITO) coated glass. UV-vis absorption spectrum measures the band gap energy 3.1 eV, indicating UV absorptivity of the materials, whereas XRD analysis reveals preferential growth of anatase form of TiO 2 with tetragonal body-centred cubic lattice. The material developed from EG recorded the highest photoelectrochemical water oxidation current ∼400 μA cm -2 at 0.8 V vs. Ag/AgCl, with 17% incident photon to current conversion efficiency (IPCE) and ∼22% absorbed photon to current conversion efficiency (APCE).