Preparation and Photoelectrocatalytic Activity of ZnO Nanorods Embedded in Highly Ordered TiO sub(2) Nanotube Arrays Electrode for Azo Dye Degradation

Photocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic degradation of azo dye, such as methyl orange (MO) using ZnO nanorods embedded in highly ordered TiO sub(2) nanotube arrays (ZnO/TiO sub(2) NR/Ts) electrodes is studied. ZnO/TiO sub(2) NR/Ts are first prepared via two electrochemical steps. The TiO sub(2) NTs electrode is fabricated by anodization method. The direct cathodic electrodepostion method is used to embed ZnO nanorods into TiO sub(2) nanotubes. The photoelectrochemical properties of ZnO/TiO2 NR/Ts electrode are studied and the photocurrent is dramatically enhanced on the ZnO/TiO sub(2) NR/Ts electrode, compared with that on bare TiO sub(2) NTs electrode. The ZnO nanorods embedding modification can improve the photoelectrocatalytic activity of TiO sub(2) NTs. The TiO sub(2) NTs are used not only as photocatalytic semiconductor materials but also as template, which provides a general way to prepare novel hybrid nanomaterials.