In this study, three kinds of CNT/TiO2 electrodes were prepared. The electrodes prepared were characterized by BET surface area, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, and it illuminated that the electrodes developed consisted of well mixed anatase and rutile TiO2 particles with the CNTs and they exhibited a higher catalytic activity. The catalytic efficiency of the electrodes developed was evaluated by the photoelectrodegradation of methylene blue (MB). The photoelectrodegradation of MB using the proposed electrode under different experimental conditions was investigated. The positive potential applied in photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) oxidation was also studied. It was found that catalytic decomposition of the MB solution could be attributed to the combination effects between TiO2 photocatalyst and the electro-assistance of the CNTs, with the conductive of CNT network facilitating the electron transfer between the adsorbed MB molecules and the catalyst substrate, and that PEC oxidation increased with an increase of the CNT composition.
Keywords: CNT/TiO2 electrode, Photoelectrocatalysis, Methylene blue (MB), XRD, SEM, EDX.