Effect of Photoelectrochemical Electrolyte Additives on the Photoconversion Efficiency of Tungsten Trioxide Loaded Titania Nanotubes Prepared Via Electrodeposition
Lim Ying Chin1, Nur Farah Atikah Harun2, Asmaa Kadim Ayal3, Yusairie Mohd4, Lim Ying Pei5
1Lim Ying Chin, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.
2Nur Farah atikan Harun, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.
3Asmaa Kadim Ayal, Department of Chemistry, College of Science for Women, University of Baghdad, Al-Jadriya Campus, Baghdad, Iraq.
Manuscript received on September 23, 2019. | Revised Manuscript received on October 15, 2019. | Manuscript published on October 30, 2019. | PP: 5497-5484 | Volume-9 Issue-1, October 2019 | Retrieval Number: A3064109119/2019©BEIESP | DOI: 10.35940/ijeat.A3064.109119
Open Access | Ethics and Policies | Cite | Mendeley
© The Authors. Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: This study aims to investigate the effect of additives (sulfuric acid and ethanol) in sodium sulfate as photoelectrochemical (PEC) electrolyte on the photoconversion efficiency of tungsten trioxide loaded titania nanotubes (WTNT). Titania nanotubes (TNT) were first fabricated via anodization while the deposition of tungsten trioxide onto the titania nanotubes (WTNT) were successfully carried out via electrodeposition at various potentials. Assessing the PEC performance of WTNT fabricated at pH 1.5 in solely sodium sulfate was not adequate to enhance the PEC performance of WTNT compared to blank TNT. A similar result was obtained when sulfuric acid was added or when fabricating WTNT at pH 0.8. Adding ethanol into sodium sulfate electrolyte has successfully improved the PEC performance of WTNT with observable inclining photoconversion efficiency trend upon increasing electrodeposition potentials of WTNT from −0.45 V to −0.75 V.
Keywords: Additives, photoconversion efficiency, photoelectrochemical cell, titania nanotubes.