Pt-coated TiO2 nanorods for photoelectrochemical water splitting applications

In this study, platinum Pt nanoparticles (NPs) layer was deposited on the surface of TiO2 nanorods (NRs) using a simple chemical process and its effects on the photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance for water splitting were examined using a variety of methods. Photocurrent measurements of the prepared samples indicated that modification of the TiO2 surface with a Pt NPs layer improved the PEC properties of the TiO2 photoelectrodes. In particular, the Pt-coated TiO2 NRs exhibited the highest photocurrent, approximately 1.86 higher than that of the bare TiO2 NRs. The enhanced of PEC properties of the Pt-coated TiO2 sample compared to the bare TiO2 were attributed mainly to the enhanced separation efficiency of photogenerated electron–holes pairs and surface plasmon resonance SPR effects of deposited Pt NPs layer.