Abstract

In this study, Fe-, Ce-, and La-doped TiO2 ultrafine nanospheres were synthesized via low-temperature solvothermal method. The structural and morphological variations of bare and M (Fe, Ce, La)- doped TiO2 were confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy images. The fabricated photoanodes were tested using 1 M KOH electrolyte and demonstrated that they can be used for eco-friendly photoelectrochemical solar water-splitting application. Compared to bare TiO2 photoanodes, foreign cations (Fe, Ce, La)-doped TiO2-based photoanodes exhibited higher photocurrent response without bias. In nutshell, the rare-earth element La-doped TiO2 nanosphere photoanode showed good photocurrent response to approximately 0.48 mA/cm(2) under illumination, with lower flat band potential shift of - 0.83 V. The highest photostability of 96% was achieved over 2 h for 10% La-doped TiO2 nanosphere photoanode and was suitable for solar water-splitting applications.