Photoelectrocatalytic Performance of Benzoic Acid on TiO2 Nanotube Array Electrodes

The photoelectrocatalytic performance of benzoic acid on TiO2 nanotube array electrodes was investigated. A thin-cell was used to discuss the effect of the bias voltage, illumination intensity, and electrolyte concentration on the photoelectrocatalytic degradation efficiency of benzoic acid. The pho...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hongchong Chen, Jinhua Li, Quanpeng Chen, Di Li, Baoxue Zhou
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2013-01-01
Series:International Journal of Photoenergy
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/567426
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The photoelectrocatalytic performance of benzoic acid on TiO2 nanotube array electrodes was investigated. A thin-cell was used to discuss the effect of the bias voltage, illumination intensity, and electrolyte concentration on the photoelectrocatalytic degradation efficiency of benzoic acid. The photogenerated current-time (I-t) profiles were found to be related to the adsorption and the degradation process. The relationship between the initial concentration and the photocurrent peaks (I0ph) fits the Langmuir-type adsorption model, thus confirming that the adsorption of benzoic acid on TiO2 nanotube arrays (TNAs) was single monolayer adsorption. At low concentrations, the I-t profiles simply decay after the initial transient peak due to the sufficient holes on the TNAs which would oxidize the benzoic acid quickly. However, the I-t profiles varied with increasing benzoic acid concentrations because the rate of diffusion in the bulk solution and the degradation of the intermediate products affect the photoelectrocatalysis on the electrode surface.
ISSN:1110-662X
1687-529X