Combined Structural and Plasmonic Enhancement of Nanometer-Thin Film Photocatalysis for Solar-Driven Wastewater Treatment.

Titanium dioxide (TiO) thin films are commonly used as photocatalytic materials. Here, we enhance the photocatalytic activity of devices based on titanium dioxide (TiO) by combining nanostructured glass substrates with metallic plasmonic nanostructures. We achieve a three-fold increase of the catalyst's surface area through nanoscale, three-dimensional patterning of periodic, conical grids, which creates a broadband optical absorber.