Photocatalytic activity of TiO2 nanowire arrays

Ordered anatase TiO2 nanowire arrays have been successfully fabricated in the nanochannels of porous anodic alumina membrane by electrophoretic deposition. The as-grown materials were characterized by using scanning electron microscope and power X-ray diffraction. The photocatalysis activities of TiO2 nanowire arrays were characterized by quantifying the degradation of Rhodamine B dye solution. Compared with TiO2 nanowire arrays and thin film by using sol-gel deposition, higher photocatalytic activity of TiO2 nanowire arrays by using electrophoretic deposition is obtained and mainly attributed to larger surface areas and greater energy gap. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.