Abstract
We studied photocatalytic activity of highly porous nanotubular TiO films modified with nanoclusters of ubiquitous metal (Ti, Al, Zn, Sn, Cu, W) oxides prepared by chemical bath deposition and atomic layer deposition as well as nanoclusters of metal rich suboxides and mixed titania suboxides prepared by atomic layer deposition by following decomposition of methylene blue under simulated solar light. The mixed titania suboxide clusters constructed on the surface of TiO nanotubes by atomic layer deposition demonstrated significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity in comparison to the naked TiO nanotubes attributed to the better absorption of visible light due to the upward shift of the valence band near the TiO surface induced by the suboxide clusters that feature low valence states and metal-metal bonds. © 2014 The Ceramic Society of Japan.