Abstract
Pt decorated TiO2 has, over the past decades, been a key material for photocatalytic hydrogen production. The present work shows that growing anodic self-organized TiO2 nanotubes from Ti-Pt alloy with a low Pt content of 0.2 at% leads to oxide nanotube layers that are self-decorated with Pt nanoparticles of 4-5 nm in diameter. The average particle spacing is in the range of similar to 50 nm and is partially adjustable by the anodization conditions. This intrinsic decoration of TiO2 nanotubes with Pt leads to a highly active photocatalyst for the production of H-2 under UV or visible light conditions.