A novel 3D ZnO/Cu<sub>2</sub>O nanowire photocathode material with highly efficient photoelectrocatalytic performance

Bai, Jing; Li, Yunpo; Wang, Rui; Huang, Ke; Qing-yuan, Zeng; Li, Jinhua; Zhou, Baoxue

doi:10.1039/c5ta07583a

Cited by 48 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…The stabilization of Cu 2 O reduction and decrease of the dark current is likely to be caused by a high-quality homogeneous Cu 2 O layer. Furthermore, our results also show a significant improvement compared to the other bare Cu 2 O photocathodes (see Table S1) prepared on Cu substrates with nanowire structures (photocurrent: -2.08 mA cm -2 , dark current: -0.3 mA cm -2 [46] and photocurrent: -0.5 mA cm -2 , dark current: close to zero [47]). However, planar Cu 2 O films on Au and FTO substrates show a slightly higher photocurrent probably due to the preferred crystal orientation which has been reported to affect the PEC water splitting performance [45].…”

Section: Pec Performance Of Cu 2 O Photocathodessupporting

confidence: 56%

Electrodeposition of cuprous oxide on a porous copper framework for an improved photoelectrochemical performance

et al. 2021

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Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting can be an efficient and economically feasible alternative for hydrogen production if easily processed photoelectrodes made of inexpensive and abundant materials are employed. Here, we present the preparation of porous Cu2O photocathodes with good PEC performance using solely inexpensive electrodeposition methods. Firstly, porous Cu structures with delicate pore networks were deposited on flat Cu substrates employing hydrogen-bubble-assisted Cu deposition. In a second electrodeposition step, the porous Cu structures were mechanically reinforced and subsequently detached from the substrates to obtain free-standing porous frameworks. In a third and final step, photoactive Cu2O films were electrodeposited. The PEC water splitting performance in 0.5 M Na2SO4 (pH ∼6) shows that these photocathodes have photocurrents of up to −2.25 mA cm−2 at 0 V versus RHE while maintaining a low dark current. In contrast, the Cu2O deposited on a flat Cu sample showed photocurrents only up to −1.25 mA cm−2. This performance increase results from the significantly higher reactive surface area while maintaining a thin and homogeneous Cu2O layer with small grain sizes and therefore higher hole concentrations as determined by Mott-Schottky analysis. The free-standing porous Cu2O samples show a direct optical transmittance of 23% (λ = 400–800 nm) and can therefore be used in tandem structures with a photoanode in full PEC cells. Graphical abstract

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Section: Pec Performance Of Cu 2 O Photocathodessupporting

confidence: 56%

Electrodeposition of cuprous oxide on a porous copper framework for an improved photoelectrochemical performance

et al. 2021

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“…Hence, it is of considerable significance to fabricate the ZnO-based photocatalysts with excellent photoactivity, high stability, and wide applicability. In past years, the coupling of ZnO with other semiconductors, such as ZnO–TiO 2 , ZnO–CdS, ZnO–ZnS, ZnO–CuO, ZnO–BiOI, ZnO–Cu 2 O, etc. have been investigated mainly as photoelectrodes for H 2 evolution and there are only limited reports on photocatalytic H 2 evolution with ZnO-based heterostructures. − …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Defect-Rich MoS₂ Ultrathin Nanosheets-Coated Nitrogen-Doped ZnO Nanorod Heterostructures: An Insight into in-Situ-Generated ZnS for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Kumar

Rao

et al. 2019

ACS Appl. Energy Mater.

125

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Molybdenum disulfide has emerged as one of the promising materials, particularly as a co-catalyst for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution over the conventional and more-expensive platinum. Herein, we report novel onedimensional/two-dimensional (1D-2D) heterostructures consisting of nitrogen-doped ZnO nanorods coated with defect-rich MoS 2 nanosheets having abundant edge sulfur atoms. The optimized heterostructure consists of 15 wt % of defect-rich MoS 2 nanosheets-coated on N-ZnO showed the highest H 2 evolution of 17.3 mmol h −1 g cat −1 under solar light irradiation. The improved photocatalytic H 2 evolution can be attributed to (i) the in-situ-generated ZnS during the process, which increased the number of interfaces, (ii) the presence of abundant exposed sulfur edge atoms in defect-rich MoS 2 nanosheets, which has strong affinity for H + ions, and (iii) the intimate heterojunction formed between N-ZnO and MoS 2 , which facilitates charge transfer efficiency. Hence, this work offers a promising strategy for the design and development of defect engineered heterostructure photocatalysts for greatly enhanced solar-to-fuel conversion.

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“…The ZnO/Cu 2 O heterojunction has been heavily investigated because the p–n heterojunction between ZnO and Cu 2 O shows a dramatic enhancement on photoelectrochemical catalysis − and photovoltaic conversion . This is partly attributed to the unique electron configuration.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy Band Architecture of a Hierarchical ZnO/Au/Cu_xO Nanoforest by Mimicking Natural Superhydrophobic Surfaces

Jia

Doble

et al. 2019

ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces

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The ZnO/Cu2O heterojunction promises high efficiency in photocurrent conversion and other light-driven processes, but the lattice mismatch between ZnO and Cu2O leads to slow electron transfer and low conversion efficiency. In addition, the stability of Cu2O is still the main challenging and limiting factor for device applications in real environments. Cu x O is a mixed semiconductor of CuO and Cu2O, which is a promising alternative to Cu2O in device fabrication due to its better stability and photocatalytic efficiency. In this work, Cu x O nanorods were attached to vertically aligned gold-decorated ZnO nanorods, creating a hierarchical ZnO/Au/Cu x O nanoforest. In addition, the hierarchical surface shows superhydrophobicity, which can prevent Cu2O degradation by water and oxygen. Femtosecond time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy was employed to investigate the electron transfer dynamics in the ZnO/Au/Cu x O heterojunction. The nanoforest demonstrates enhanced electron mobility, increased lattice match, and higher photocurrent conversion efficiency compared with bare ZnO, Cu x O, or ZnO/Cu x O.

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A novel 3D ZnO/Cu₂O nanowire photocathode material with highly efficient photoelectrocatalytic performance

Cited by 48 publications

References 38 publications

Electrodeposition of cuprous oxide on a porous copper framework for an improved photoelectrochemical performance

Electrodeposition of cuprous oxide on a porous copper framework for an improved photoelectrochemical performance

Defect-Rich MoS₂ Ultrathin Nanosheets-Coated Nitrogen-Doped ZnO Nanorod Heterostructures: An Insight into in-Situ-Generated ZnS for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Energy Band Architecture of a Hierarchical ZnO/Au/Cu_xO Nanoforest by Mimicking Natural Superhydrophobic Surfaces

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A novel 3D ZnO/Cu2O nanowire photocathode material with highly efficient photoelectrocatalytic performance

Cited by 48 publications

References 38 publications

Electrodeposition of cuprous oxide on a porous copper framework for an improved photoelectrochemical performance

Electrodeposition of cuprous oxide on a porous copper framework for an improved photoelectrochemical performance

Defect-Rich MoS2 Ultrathin Nanosheets-Coated Nitrogen-Doped ZnO Nanorod Heterostructures: An Insight into in-Situ-Generated ZnS for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Energy Band Architecture of a Hierarchical ZnO/Au/CuxO Nanoforest by Mimicking Natural Superhydrophobic Surfaces

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A novel 3D ZnO/Cu₂O nanowire photocathode material with highly efficient photoelectrocatalytic performance

Defect-Rich MoS₂ Ultrathin Nanosheets-Coated Nitrogen-Doped ZnO Nanorod Heterostructures: An Insight into in-Situ-Generated ZnS for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Energy Band Architecture of a Hierarchical ZnO/Au/Cu_xO Nanoforest by Mimicking Natural Superhydrophobic Surfaces