Visible-Light Photocatalytic Activity of TiO_(2) Nanorods and Its Application to Degrading Organic Pollutants

Fluorine-doped tin oxide(FTO)/TiO_(2) seed layer/TiO_(2) nanorods were prepared by ion-beam deposition and hydrothermal methods.Under UV light,the photocurrent density of these nanorods was found to reach 1.39 mA/cm^(2),which was higher than that without the seed layer and nanorod structures.Furthermore,the FTO/TiO_(2) seed layer/TiO_(2) nanorods can also absorb visible light,overcoming a notable problem with standard TiO_(2).The photocurrent density of the FTO/TiO_(2) seed layer/TiO_(2) nanorods was found to reach 0.21 mA/cm^(2) under visible light.This high-performance results from the deposition of the TiO_(2) seed layer,which reduces the band gap of TiO_(2).The FTO/TiO_(2) seed layer/TiO_(2) nanorods also exhibited high photodegradation ability for the organic pollutant methylene blue(MB).Within 120 min,77.3%of the MB was found to have been degraded,and the degradation rates remained almost unchanged after four cycles with the same catalyst sample.Additionally,compared with powdered photocatalysts,the FTO/TiO_(2) seed layer/TiO_(2) nanorod sample is easy to recover,requiring only rinsing with water and natural drying after the reaction.