Surface plasmon-driven photoelectrochemical water splitting of a Ag/TiO(2) nanoplate photoanode

A silver/titanium dioxide nanoplate (Ag/TiO(2) NP) photoelectrode was designed and fabricated from vertically aligned TiO(2) nanoplates (NP) decorated with silver nanoparticles (NPs) through a simple hydrothermal synthesis and electrodeposition route. The electrodeposition times of Ag NPs on the TiO(2) NP were crucial for surface plasmon-driven photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting performance. The Ag/TiO(2) NP at the optimal deposition time of 5 min with a Ag element content of 0.53 wt% demonstrated a remarkably high photocurrent density of 0.35 mA cm(−2) at 1.23 V vs. RHE under AM 1.5G illumination, which was 5 fold higher than that of the pristine TiO(2) NP. It was clear that the enhanced light absorption properties and PEC performance for Ag/TiO(2) NP could be effectively adjusted by simply controlling the loading amounts of metallic Ag NPs (average size of 10–30 nm) at different electrodeposition times. The superior PEC performance of the Ag/TiO(2) NP photoanode was attributed to the synergistic effects of the plasmonic Ag NPs and the TiO(2) nanoplate. Interestingly, the plasmonic effect of Ag NPs not only increased the visible-light response (λ(max) = 570 nm) of TiO(2) but also provided hot electrons to promote photocurrent generation and suppress charge recombination. Importantly, this study offers a potentially efficient strategy for the design and fabrication of a new type of TiO(2) hybrid nanostructure with a plasmonic enhancement for PEC water splitting.