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Deposition of a ZnO Nanolayer on TiO 2 Nanorods Nanoarrays with Tailored Thickness towards Boosted Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Production Activity
Author(s) -
Chen Jianwu,
Yang Yueping,
Song Kai,
Xu Shang,
Zhang Tian,
Hou Huilin
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
chemistryselect
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.437
H-Index - 34
ISSN - 2365-6549
DOI - 10.1002/slct.202002515
Subject(s) - nanorod , photocurrent , materials science , atomic layer deposition , heterojunction , water splitting , deposition (geology) , hydrothermal circulation , hydrogen production , nanotechnology , chemical engineering , layer (electronics) , optoelectronics , chemical bath deposition , photocatalysis , hydrogen , thin film , catalysis , chemistry , paleontology , biochemistry , organic chemistry , sediment , engineering , biology
In this study, one‐dimensional (1D) core‐shell structured TiO 2 @ZnO nanorod arrays have been synthesised by means of a simple hydrothermal method combining with subsequently ZnO atomic layer deposition (ALD). It was found that the thickness of the ZnO shell layers can be finely controlled with 20 nm, 30 nm, 40 nm and 50 nm by simply varying the deposition times. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting tests demonstrate that the TiO 2 @ZnO samples with 30 nm of ZnO layer yielded the highest photocurrent density of 1.24 mA/cm 2 upon AM 1.5 illumination, which was about 1.55 times higher than that of pristine TiO 2 . The improved PEC activity is due to the enhanced interfacial charge‐separation and transportation based on the type II heterojunction as well as the unique 1D core‐shell structure.