Preparation of ti‐nb‐fe‐o nanotubes on ti10nbxfe alloy and the application for photocatalytic degradation under solar irradiation

Abstract

Highly oriented and self‐ordered titanium‐niobium‐iron mixed oxide nanotubes were synthesized by anodizing Ti10NbxFe alloys in ethylene glycol electrolytes containing NH4F and water at 20 °C. The nanostructure morphologies were found to depend closely on the nature of the alloy substrates. The results demonstrate the possibility of growing mixed oxide nanotubes pos-sessing several‐micrometer‐thick layers by a simple and straightforward electrochemical route. The methylene blue degradation rate of fabricated Ti‐Nb‐Fe‐O nanotubes increased by 33% compared to TiO2 nanotubes and TiO2 nanoparticle films under solar irradiation. The combination of the gully‐like morphology and the rich defects introduced by Nb and Fe co‐doping in Ti‐Nb‐Fe‐O mixed nanotube oxides was demonstrated to be beneficial for enhanced photocatalytic degradation performance. Ti‐Nb‐Fe‐O nanotubes can achieve effective photodegradation without secondary pollution with more reusability than powder photocatalysts.