Abstract
Aligned TiO(2) nanotube layers (TiNTs) grown by self-organizing anodization of a Ti-substrate in a fluoride-based electrolyte were decorated with graphitic-phase C(3)N(4) (g-C(3)N(4)) via a facile chemical vapor deposition approach. In comparison with classical TiO(2) nanotubes (anatase), the g-C(3)N(4)/TiNTs show an onset of the photocurrent at 2.4 eV (vs. 3.2 eV for anatase) with a considerably high photocurrent magnitude in the visible range. After further decoration with Pt nanoparticles, we obtained a visible-light responsive platform that showed, compared with g-C(3)N(4)-free TiNTs, a strong enhancement for photoelectrochemical and bias-free H(2) evolution (15.62 μLh(-1) cm(-2)), which was almost a 98-fold increase in the H(2) production rate of TiNTs (0.16 μLh(-1) cm(-2)). In a wider context, the g-C(3)N(4)-combined 3 D nanoporous/nanotubular structure thus provides a platform with significant visible-light response in photocatalytic applications.