Enhancement of photoelectrochemical performance of AACVD-produced TiO 2 electrodes by microwave irradiation while preserving the nanostructure

TiO ₂ electrodes are deposited on FTO-glass substrates at 350 and 400 °C by aerosol-assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD) and the deposited TiO ₂ electrodes are irradiated with microwave radiation (2.45 GHz) at various percentages (10, 25, 50, and 100%). X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern shows that the deposited electrodes have anatase phase TiO ₂ oriented in the (101) direction, and the crystallinity of these electrodes increases after microwave treatment. Field emission gun scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM) surface topography analysis proves the preservation of the nanostructure after exposure to various percentages of microwave radiation. The photoelectrochemical (PEC) studies prove a threefold enhancement of photocurrent density of AACVD-produced TiO ₂ electrodes after 100% microwave irradiation. This improved performance of PEC properties is attributed to improvements in the crystallinity and the particle-necking properties. The results presented demonstrate that microwave processing is a promising alternative method to conventional sintering for TiO ₂ photoanodes.