Titania nanotube arrays surface-modified with ZnO for enhanced photocatalytic applications

• Heterostructures of TNA/ZnO synthesised through potentiostatic anodisation followed by hydrothermal method.
• Evaluation of morphological features of the heterostructure with hydrothermal processing time.
• Correlation of photocatalytic activity of the hetrostructure with its morphology and surface texture.

Well ordered titanium dioxide nanotube arrays (TNA) of average diameter 129 nm and wall thickness of 25 nm were fabricated through potentiostatic anodisation of titanium (Ti) metal substrates. Such TNA were subsequently surface-modified with various amounts of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanopowders using hydrothermal technique to obtain heterogeneous TNA/ZnO nanostructures. The crystalline phase and surface microstructure of the heterostructures were determined by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy respectively. The morphology of the heterostructures strongly depended on the hydrothermal conditions employed. The photocatalytic activity of the heterostructures have also been investigated and correlated with their surface morphology and texture.

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