Effect of thickness of ALD grown TiO2 films on photoelectrocatalysis

Atomic layer deposited TiO2 films were used for photoelectrocatalysis for the first time. Films with different thicknesses were grown and comprehensively characterized by structural and photoelectrochemical techniques. Methylene blue was used as a model substance in photocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic degradation studies. In both cases, degradation rate was observed to saturate above certain film thickness. The reason for saturation could not be explained by the electrical parameters alone, and it was suggested that film morphology and crystalline structure are of major importance in this case.