Adherent nanoporous anatase TiO ₂ membranes on stainless steel substrates

Nanostructured TiO ₂ is one of the most commonly used materials in photocatalytic applications and photochemical solar cells. This article describes a method to synthesize nanoporous anatase TiO ₂ membranes directly on stainless steel (SS), an easily available substrate by anodization to form amorphous TiO ₂ and a subsequent heat treatment to convert it into anatase, the photoactive phase. To obtain adherent membranes with interfaces that are resistant to peeling, both anodization and heat treatment parameters need to be optimized to obtain a heterostructure that contains a Ti film between the TiO ₂ membrane and the substrate.