UV-light aided photoelectrochemical synthesis of Au/TiO2 NTs for photoelectrocatalytic degradation of HPAM

TiO2 nanotube arrays (TiO2 NTs) loaded with Au nanoparticles were fabricated as an electrode for enhanced photoelectrocatalytic activity toward partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) degradation. The honeycombed TiO2 NTs were prepared by a two-step anodization method and modified by Au nanoparticles via an UV-light aided photoelectrochemical process. The photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) activities of TiO2 NTs and Au/TiO2 NTs were characterized by decomposition of HPAM. The results showed that Au/TiO2 NTs exhibit much higher PEC activity than that of pristine TiO2 NTs. The size and amount of Au nanoparticles can be well controlled by adjusting the concentrations of metal ion precursor in the photoelectrochemical process. Structures, element components and morphologies of TiO2 NTs and Au/TiO2 NTs were measured by XRD, XPS, EDS and FESEM. Photoresponse of the as prepared samples were evaluated by UV-vis DRS. The UV-light aided photoelectrochemical synthesis of Au/TiO2 NTs contributes to the rational design of the plasmonic photocatalytic composite material based on wide band gap metal oxides for photoelectrochemical applications on degradation of polymers. As a consequence, an optimum loading amount of Au were obtained with weight percentage of 1.24 wt%.