Anatase TiO2 film composed of nanorods with predominant {110} active facets as an excellent photocatalyst for water splitting

We report for the first time the experimental realization of anatase TiO2 film comprised mainly of nanorods exposed with dominant {110} lateral surfaces growing on the quartz glass substrate. Based on microstructure and morphology analysis, it is found that, the average diameter of nanorods is less than 40 nm, which is favorable for the effective migration and separation of photogenerated carriers, while their lateral {110} facets contain abundant unsaturated 4c-Ti atoms which act as active sites for water splitting. The H2 generation rate by this bare anatase TiO2 nanorods film is 8.4 mmol g−1 h−1 under full-arc light irradiation without the assistance of metal cathode, bias or loading of co-catalyst, which is about three orders of magnitude higher than that of anatase TiO2 nanoparticles film, and even higher than the reported values of some noble metal loaded TiO2 photocatalysts. This work exemplifies that the controlled growth of photocatalysts with specified active facets and desired architectures is an effective strategy to achieve excellent photocatalytic properties.