Dye-sensitized solar cell and photocatalytic performance of nanocomposite photocatalyst prepared by electrochemical anodization

This study compares different Fe-doped TiO₂ nanostructures in terms of their photocatalytic performance. Iron-doped TiO₂ nanostructures (FeTNs) were prepared by in situ anodizing of titanium in a single-step process in the presence of 3, 9, 15 and 21 mM K₃Fe(CN)₆. Potassium ferricyanide was used as the iron source. Prepared films are amorphous, so these layers were thermally annealed. The effect of iron doping on the photoelectrochemical properties (including dye-sensitized solar cells) and photocatalysis properties (decomposition of methomyl) was investigated. In all investigated cases, the sample C, which was formed by anodizing in a ethylene glycol electrolyte containing 9 mM K₃Fe(CN)₆, exhibited better performance than the bare TiO₂ and FeNTs fabricated using other iron concentrations. This study demonstrated a feasible and simple anodizing method to fabricate an effective, reproducible and inexpensive photocatalyst for various applications.