Physicochemical and Electrochemical Properties of Materials Based on Titanium Suboxides

The influence of the synthesis conditions on the surface morphology, phase composition, and electrocatalytic activity of materials in oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions was investigated. For instance, the slopes in the potential verses the logarithm of the current density dependencies during oxygen evolution were 221 and 109 mV/dec for TiO₂ nanotubes and platinum-coated layers, respectively. In the latter case, small deviations may be attributed to the structural heterogeneity of the material or the developed surface of the coating. As for pristine TiO₂ nanotubes, an atypical Tafel slope was observed, almost twice the theoretical value, indicating the presence of a semiconductor component in the electrode capacitance. Studies showed that the materials are n-type semiconductors. The cathodic polarization stage leads to the formation of titanium suboxides in the nanotube recovery phase, contributing to an increase in the material electrical conductivity. This also allows for the creation of a porous developed surface matrix for the electrodeposition of catalytic metal layers. Tafel slopes were calculated for the investigated materials in the hydrogen evolution reaction. For TiO₂ nanotubes, a slope of 175 mV/dec was observed. The material surface was partially blocked by hydroxides, resulting in a low number of active centers for the hydrogen evolution, and the polarization curve had a steep slope. In the case of TiO₂ nanotubes coated with a platinum layer, a high number of cationic vacancies in the matrix and a deficit of oxygen ions facilitated the mobility of platinum atoms, leading to the emergence of a large number of active centers for the hydrogen evolution. As a result, the Tafel slope of the polarization curve was found to be 30 mV/dec.