Synergizing nanocomposites of CdSe/TiO2 nanotubes for improved photoelectrochemical activity via thermal treatment.

In this work, we show the effect of the thermal treatment temperature on the photoelectrochemical (PEC) activity of CdSe/TiO2 nanocomposites. TiO2 nanotubes (NTs) were synthesized by anodization and the nanocomposites were obtained by depositing CdSe clusters via magnetron sputtering. A two-step thermal treatment was performed: heating the TiO2 NTs at different temperatures prior to CdSe deposition and further heating the CdSe/TiO2 nanocomposites.