Study on preparation and photocatalytic degradation of alachlor on TiO2/Ti photoelectrodes prepared by microarc oxidation method.

Abstract: Wormhole-shaped TiO2/Ti photoelectrodes were prepared by microarc oxidation method in H2SO4 solution. The morphology and structure were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The photocatalytic (PC) activity of TiO2/Ti photoelectrodes was evaluated by the degradation rates of alachlor in aqueous solution. All results showed that their porous increased with the anodization voltage, and the crystal structure transferred from anatase to rutile TiO2. The photoelectrodes, which were anodized 10 min at 160 V in 0.5 M H2SO4 solution, were composed of mixed crystal structures of anatase and rutile TiO2 and have optimal PC performance. Alachlor was almost completely removed by TiO2/Ti photoelectrodes after 120 min under the illumination of 150W xenon light. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]