Abstract
As a new type of photoelectrocatalytic materials, the TiO2 nanotube arrays have drawn a lot of attention for efficiently
photoelectrocatalytic organic pollutants degradation due to their highly photoelectrocatalytic properties. Yet, the performance of
photoelectrocatalytic organics degradation using TiO2 nanotube arrays electrode is influenced by Cl-, a kind of typical reducing
material. This paper focuses on the effect of Cl- on the different photoelectrocatalytic performance of TiO2 nanotube arrays
electrode and TiO2 nanoparticles film electrode as a comparison. Without organics, Cl- showed chemical inertness on the TiO2
nanotube arrays electrode, different from the photocatalytic activity of Cl- on the TiO2 nanoparticles film electrode. With organics,
low concentration Cl- (0-100mg/L) hardly affected the organic degradation of TiO2 nanotube arrays electrode, while high
concentration Cl- (>100mg/L) obviously restrained it. The different performance between these two kinds of electrodes in
photoelectrocatalytic organics degradation can be attributed to the peculiar architecture of TiO2 nanotube arrays.