Bio-Inspired Titanium Dioxide Materials with Special Wettability and Their Applications

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is one of the most widely used nanomaterials in our daily life. In 1972, Fujishima and Honda reported the photo electrolysis of water into H2 and O2 utilizing an electrochemical cell in which the TiO2 single-crystal electrode is connected with a Pt electrode. This is analogus with the natural photosynthesis that produces oxygen through oxidizing water and reducing carbon dioxide using sunlight, where solar energy is converted into chemical energy. Since that time, photocatalysis has received considerable attention owing to its important applications in the conversion of light energy into useful chemical energy. In 1997, Fujishima et al. first reported the photogeneration of a…