Synthesis of Tio2 Nanoribbons and Its Application in Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting for Hydrogen Production

In the present investigation nanoribbons of TiO2 were prepared through the hydrothermal process. In a typical preparation procedure, 2 g of TiO2 powder (average size 100 mu m) was added to 50mL of 10M NaOH and stirred for 10 min in a beaker. The mixture was then transferred into a te on lined stainless steel autoclave and heated to 150 degrees C for 48 h. After the autoclave was naturally cooled to room temperature, the obtained sample was filtered and washed several times with distilled water and 0.1M HCl until the pH value of the solution reached to 7 and then the sample was filtered and dried at 80 degrees C for 8 h. To improve the crystallinity the as dried sample was annealed at 500 degrees C for 4 h. The TiO2 nanoribbons were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD and UV-Visible spectroscopy. The TiO2 nanoribbons have been used for photoelectrochemical hydrogen production in photoelectrochemical solar cells.