Abstract: A TiO2 nano-membrane photocatalyst was prepared by the sol-gel method using foam-nickel as the radical material. In an in-house constructed photocatalytic reaction equipment with an electric field, the photo-electro-catalytic degradation of methyl orange solution was studied by applying a definite anode bias voltage on the catalyst. The effects of bias polarity, anode bias voltage, and initial concentration of methyl orange were investigated, and the differences between the photo-electro-catalysis and photocatalysis as well as photolysis were compared. The degradation efficiency of methyl orange can be greatly increased by applying the electric field. According to the theories of semiconductor and quantum mechanics, the photo-electro-catalytic reaction mechanism was discussed.

Key words: electric field, titania, nano-membrane, photocatalysis, methyl orange, degradation