Abstract
•TiO2 thin-film photoelectrodes were prepared by electrostatic spray deposition (ESD).•Photoactivity of an electrosprayed titania film could be greatly enhanced by the use of electron beam irradiation.•The application of the electron beam was found to increase the photocurrent density threefold over a non-electron beam-treated film.
Surface modifications are often made to titania films to improve its photocatalytic performance in water splitting. We herein introduced electron beam irradiation to enhance the photocatalytic activities of an electro-sprayed titania film for solar water splitting application. The film was fabricated by a facile and scalable electrostatic spraying deposition. According to SEM, X-ray diffraction, and Raman data, electron beam densified the film and improved its crystallinity. Absorbance data indicated that the band gap of the E-beam film reduced, which in turn covered the wider range of absorbed light. These modifications increased oxygen vacancies or defects, which enhanced mobility and separation of electrons and holes. As a result, the E-beam film exhibited a threefold increase in the photocurrent density, compared to that of the non-E-beam film. This electrosprayed titania film was used as a photoanode while the reference and counter electrodes involved in the generation of hydrogen were made of Ag/AgCl and platinum, respectively. The intensity of the UV light illumination used was 1mW/cm2.