Photoelectrocatalytic hydrogen generation and simultaneous degradation of organic pollutant via CdSe/TiO2 nanotube arrays

CdSe nanoparticles enhanced TiO 2 nanotube arrays electrodes (CdSe/TNTAs) were explored as the photoanode for driving the photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) generation of hydrogen and simultaneous degradation of organic pollutants in a PEC system. The evolution hydrogen and the simultaneous degradation of organic pollutants were performed in an electrolytic cell (three electrodes system) under visible-light ( λ   >   400   nm). Such CdSe/TiO 2 based PEC system exhibited both high efficiency of hydrogen generation and effective oxidation of methyl orange (MO). Such high PEC performance of CdSe/TNTAs was attributed to the high dispersity of CdSe nanoparticles on both outside and inside of the pore walls of TiO 2 nanotube arrays, the strong combination and heterojunctions between CdSe and TiO 2 through Cd O bonds via electrodeposition with ion-exchange method.