Fabrication of ZnO Scaffolded CdS Nanostructured Photoanodes with Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Activity under Visible Light

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c03817
• Publication Date: 2024-03-22T15:10:31Z
• Authors: Avinash Rokade; Ganesh K. Rahane; Aleksandar Živković; Swati N. Rahane; Hemant S. Tarkas; K. Hareesh; Nora H. de Leeuw; Shrikrishna Datta...; Nelson Y. Dzade; Sandesh R. Jadkar; Sachin R. Rondiya
• Keywords: Photocurrent; Chemical bath deposition; Nanorod; Visible spectrum; Photoelectrochemistry

CdS, characterized by its comparatively narrow energy band gap (∼2.4 eV), is an appropriate material for prospective use as a photoanode in photoelectrochemical water splitting. Regrettably, it encounters several obstacles practical and large-scale applications, including issues such bulk carrier recombination diminished conductivity. Here, we have tried to address these challenges fabricating novel photoelectrode (ZnO/CdS) composed of one-dimensional ZnO nanorods (NRs) decorated with two-dimensional CdS nanosheets (NSs). A facile two-step chemical method comprising electrodeposition along bath deposition employed synthesize the NRs, NSs, ZnO/CdS nanostructures. The prepared nanostructures been investigated UV–visible absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning microscopy. fabricated shown enhanced properties due improvement semiconductor junction surface area thereby visible light absorption. incorporation NSs has further found promote rate charge separation transfer process. Subsequently, photoelectrodes achieved photocurrent conversion efficiency 3 times higher than that planar NR showed excellent performance under irradiation. highest applied bias photon-to-current (% ABPE) about ∼0.63% obtained sample thicker on NRs density ∼1.87 mA/cm2 AM 1.5 G illumination. newly synthesized demonstrate full photovoltaic capacity nanomaterials yet be exhausted.