Evolution of pure hydrogen and oxygen by photocatalytic water splitting was attained from the opposite sides of a composite Pt/Ti/TiO₂ photoelectrode. The TiO₂ films were prepared by radio frequency (RF)-Magnetron Sputtering at different deposition time ranging from 1 up to 8 h and then characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and ultraviolet-visible-near infrared (UV-vis-NIR) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by incident photon to current efficiency (IPCE) measurements and by photocatalytic water splitting measurements in a two-compartment cell. The highest H₂ production rate was attained with the photoelectrode prepared by 6 h-long TiO₂ deposition thanks to its high content in the rutile polymorph, which is active under visible light. By contrast, the photoactivity dropped for longer deposition time, because of the increased probability of electron-hole recombination due to the longer electron transfer path.
Keywords: RF-magnetron sputtering; TiO2 thin film; photocatalytic hydrogen production; water splitting.