Plasmonic silver nanoparticles loaded titania nanotube arrays exhibiting enhanced photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic activities

A combination of electrochemical anodization and photochemical reduction is employed to fabricate highly ordered silver loaded titania nanotubes (Ag/TNT) arrays. The Ag/TNT samples show an extended optical absorbance from UV to visible region owing to the surface plasmon resonance effect of Ag. The photoluminescence intensity of Ag/TNT is significantly lower than that of pure titania revealing a decrease in charge carrier recombination. The photoelectrochemical properties of the prepared samples are studied using linear sweep and transient photocurrent measurements. Compared with pure TNT, the Ag loaded samples show a higher photoelectrochemical activity. The results demonstrate an efficient separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and the consequent increase in lifetime of charge carriers by Ag/TNT. The photocatalytic results of methyl orange dye degradation show that the Ag/11\1T-3-O5 sample exhibits the maximum degradation efficiency of 98.85% with kinetic rate constant of 0.0236(5) min(-1) for 180 min light illumination. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.