Enhancing Visible Light Photocatalysis with Hydrogenated Titanium Dioxide for Anti-Fouling Applications

Anti-organic fouling performance of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) can be enhanced by extending its light absorption and photocatalytic capability from ultra-violet to the visible range through hydrogenation. In this work, we aim at studying the impact of hydrogenation on the performance of both electron beam-deposited TiO₂ thin films and hydrothermally grown TiO₂ nanostructures on titanium substrates. Hydrogenation of these TiO₂-deposited titanium substrates (TiO₂/Ti) are achieved in relatively low-Temperature low-pressure chemical vapor deposition chamber without any noble diatomic hydrogen dissociation catalyst, such as platinum. Our study shows that these hydrogenated TiO₂/Ti have better light absorption ability and the titanium substrate itself serves as the active catalyst for hydrogen dissociation and diffusion. By applying hydrogenation to the TiO₂ nanostructures, we can enhance photocatalytic performance by 50% through methylene blue degradation experiments. We have also evaluated the effect of hydrogenation on carrier density and mobility in TiO₂/Ti. We recommend the hydrogenation of hydrothermally grown TiO₂ nanostructure on titanium substrates for scalable photocatalytic applications.