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Annealing Induced Oxygen Defects on Green Sonochemically Synthesized ZnO Nanoparticles for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting
Author(s) -
Kumar Vinod,
Gohain Mukut,
Kant Rich,
Ntwaeaborwa O. M.,
Hari Parameswar,
Swart H. C.,
Dutta Viresh
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
chemistryselect
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.437
H-Index - 34
ISSN - 2365-6549
DOI - 10.1002/slct.201802668
Subject(s) - annealing (glass) , photoluminescence , materials science , x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , nanoparticle , zinc , chemical engineering , oxygen , water splitting , oxide , nanotechnology , optoelectronics , metallurgy , photocatalysis , chemistry , catalysis , biochemistry , organic chemistry , engineering
Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were prepared by a green process using a simple sonochemical method. The prepared nanoparticles were annealed at different annealing temperatures in order to determine the role of the annealing temperature on the structural, morphological and optical properties of the prepared material. The defects related photoluminescence properties of the ZnO nanoparticles are discussed in detail. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy provided the information regarding the presence of the defects in the material. ZnO emission related to defect emission was observed to increase with annealing temperature upto 600°C and then decreased. These defects played a crucial role in the performance of the photo‐electrochemical (PEC) activity. The PEC performance has increased with an increase in the amount of oxygen related defects present in the material due to annealing.