Regularities of photoelectrochemical oxidation of glycerol using electrophoretically deposited TiO2 coatings on steel

Abstract

The aim of this work was to study glycerol photoelectrochemical oxidation by using electrophoretically deposited nanosized TiO₂ coatings on AISI 304 type stainless steel.

The structure and morphology of the prepared coatings were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It has been determined that the coatings contain 73 % of anatase and 27 % of rutile. The average crystallite size was calculated to be 21 and 54 nm for anatase and rutile, respectively. The photoelectrochemical behaviour of TiO₂ coatings was investigated by photovoltammetry. The n-type TiO₂ coatings were found to generate the photocurrents which are greatly enhanced by the presence of glycerol in 0.1 M Na₂SO₄ aqueous electrolyte. An increase in glycerol concentration causes a decrease in the photocurrent. The presence of pure glycerol results in higher photocurrents as compared with the technical glycerol.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ct.62.4.3228