Applications of TiO2 nanotube arrays in environmental and energy fields: A review

• Give a summary of the activity of TiO2 nanotube arrays in photocatalytic degradation.
• Demonstrate the excellent of TiO2 nanotube arrays in environmental analytical chemistry.
• TiO2 nanotube arrays have excellent prospect in energy field.

TiO2 nanotube arrays, novel TiO2-based nanomaterials with unique chemical and physical properties, have been demonstrated to serve as multifunctional materials which show great promise in addressing many challenges in both environmental and energy technology fields. They have exhibited extraordinary catalytic abilities in several cases: in the degradation of environmental inorganic and organic pollutants to less toxic compounds, water splitting, and in the reduction of atmospheric CO2 levels by incorporation of CO2 into hydrocarbons, among others. Moreover, the wide absorption spectrum characteristics and distinct electrochemical properties of modified TiO2 nanotube arrays make them excellent candidates for use in solar cells and sensitive sensors for trace compounds, etc. This review focuses on the recent applications of TiO2 nanotube arrays in removal of pollutants, environmental analytical chemistry, water splitting, solar cells and CO2 conversion.

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