Fabrication of Ordered and High-Performance Nanostructured Photoelectrocatalysts by Electrochemical Anodization: Influence of Hydrodynamic Conditions

Abstract

Nanostructured semiconductor metal oxides, such as TiO 2 , WO 3 , Fe 2 O 3 or ZnO, are being widely investigated for their use as photoanodes, due to their higher surface areas in contact with the electrolyte, which increases the efficiency of photoelectrochemical processes. Metal oxide nanostructures have been synthesized by a number of different techniques. Anodization is one of the simpler methods used to synthesize nanostructured photoanodes, and the morphology and size of nanostructures can be designed by adequately controlling anodization parameters. Besides, these nanostructures are directly bound to the metallic back contact, improving significantly the efficiency of electron collection. It has been observed that hydrodynamic conditions during anodization (using a rotating disk electrode, RDE) greatly influenced the morphology of nanostructures and, therefore, their photoelectrochemical performance. The objective of this chapter is to review the innovative nanostructures with high-aspect ratios that can be fabricated by anodization under different hydrodynamic conditions.