Patil RP, Mahadik MA, Chae WS, Choi SH, Jang JS. Porous Zn
1-xCd
xSe/ZnO Nanorod Photoanode Fabricated from ZnO Building Blocks Grown on Zn Foil for Photoelectrochemical Solar Hydrogen Production.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2023;
15:37361-37370. [PMID:
37500097 DOI:
10.1021/acsami.3c05476]
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Abstract
Solar energy is the most promising, efficient, environmentally friendly energy source with the potential to meet global demand due to its non-polluting nature. Herein, a porous Zn1-xCdxSe/ZnO nanorod (NR) heterojunction was synthesized by hydrothermal and low-temperature solvothermal methods. First, the ZnO NR was grown on a Zinc foil, and an inorganic-organic hybrid ZnSe(en)0.5 material was developed by the low-temperature solvothermal method. In this work, the ZnO NR acted as a base material and a building block for the growth of ZnSe(en)0.5. Moreover, after the solvothermal process, the reduced Se2- reacts with the ZnO NR and forms inorganic-organic hybrid ZnSe(en)0.5. After the selenization process, the obtained material shows a red brick color due to the absorbance of excessive Se metal particles during the solvothermal process. Furthermore, in order to enhance the photoelectrochemical properties, the Cd2+ ion exchange method was applied at various temperatures (140, 160, and 180 °C for 3 h) to produce a precursor material to a porous Zn1-xCdxSe/ZnO NR nanostructure. The optimum Zn1-xCdxSe/ZnO NR-160 photoanode showed a high photocurrent density of 7.8 mA·cm-2 at -0.5 V vs. Ag/AgCl with a hydrogen evolution rate of 199 μmol·cm-2/3 h. The improved photocurrent performance was attributed to effective light absorption and prolonged recombination lifetime.
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