Surface photochemical modification of TiO₂ nanotube/Ti plates for photocatalytic elimination of methylene orange dye

A facile strategy has been employed to fabricate efficient TiO₂ nanotubes/Ti plate for photocatalyst application via photochemical modification with benzene. Microstructure studies show that benzene with formation of carbonaceous polymeric deposits has been uniformly grown on the walls of TiO₂ nanotubes/Ti plates. The results of photocatalytic experiments demonstrate that the plates modified by benzene are more efficient than bare TiO₂ nanotubes/Ti for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene orange (MO) dye. The new obtained plates can be recycled 4 times, while remaining at 89.25% MO degradation ratio. The enhanced photocatalytic performance was attributed to the increased separation rate of photogenerated charge carriers and adsorption efficiency of MO by modified electrode.