TiO2 nanofibers supported on Ti sheets prepared by hydrothermal corrosion: effect of the microstructure on their photochemical and photoelectrochemical properties

TiO2/Ti nanostructures were synthesized by the hydrothermal route. Based on the operating conditions, namely the heating time and temperature, the microstructure of the produced titania was successfully varied from very thick and short nanofibers to very thin and long nanowires. UV-Visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy also evidenced a net dependency of the optical properties of the produced semiconducting films, and consequently their photocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic activity, to their synthesis conditions. Typically, the photodegradation of methylene blue in water under UV irradiation as well as the oxidation of water without additional bias were assessed and showed different efficiencies according the type of tested film.