Enhancement of Photoelectrochemical Performance of Ag@ZnO Nanowires: Experiment and Mechanism

Abstract

This paper focuses on the enhancement of photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance of uniform silver nanoparticles-decorated ZnO (Ag@ZnO) nanowires, which have been synthesized by two-step chemical vapor deposition to prepare ZnO nanowires then magnetron sputtering method to deposit Ag nanoparticles. Moreover, we analyzed the mechanisms of the PEC behavior of the Ag@ZnO nanowires. The PEC characteristics show that the current density of Ag@ZnO nanowires increased comparing to that of unmodified ZnO nanowires. The optimized content of the Ag-decorated ZnO photoelectrode is up to the maximum photocurrent density of 24.8 μAcm-2 at 1 V vs. Ag/AgCl, which was almost four times than that of the unmodified ZnO photoelectrode. Based on the surface plasmon resonance (SPR), effect of Ag nanoparticles was enhanced PEC performance of the Ag@ZnO nanowires. Because SPR effect of Ag nanoparticles extended the light absorption and enhanced the separation efficiency of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs. The remarkable PEC properties offer metals-semiconductor compound nanostructures materials as a promising electron source for high current density applications.