Solvothermal preparation of Fe-doped TiO2 nanotube arrays for enhancement in visible light induced photoelectrochemical performance

Abstract Highly visible light active Fe-doped TiO 2 nanotube arrays (Fe-TiO 2 NTs) were prepared by a simple solvothermal method, and the morphology, composition, visible light response and photocatalytic property were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV–vis diffusion reflection spectroscopy (DRS), photocurrent and photoelectrocatalysis (PEC) test. The results indicated that the doping progress of Fe 3+ ions didn't destroy the highly-ordered nanotube array structures, and Fe 3+ concentrations had significant influences on photoelectrochemical properties of TiO 2 NTs. The Fe-TiO 2 NTs prepared with the Fe 3+ concentration of 1 mmol/L exhibited more excellent photocurrent and PEC activities than those of TiO 2 NTs and other Fe-TiO 2 NTs under visible or solar light irradiation. The highly visible active Fe-TiO 2 NTs may show extensive applications in solar cells and photocatalysts due to the excellent photoelectrochemical performance.