In situ /photoinduced fabrication of Zn/ZnO nanoscale hetero-interfaces with concomitant generation of solar hydrogen
In the present investigation, we report the formation of a metal–metal oxide (Zn/ZnO) nanoscale heterointerfac with concomitant hydrogen generation. The synthesis process is simple and involves the optical illumination of Zn nanoparticles (Zn(NP)) suspended in water. The concomitant hydrogen (H 2 )...
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Published in | New journal of chemistry Vol. 47; no. 15; pp. 7312 - 7317 |
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Main Authors | , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Cambridge
Royal Society of Chemistry
11.04.2023
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | In the present investigation, we report the formation of a metal–metal oxide (Zn/ZnO) nanoscale heterointerfac with concomitant hydrogen generation. The synthesis process is simple and involves the optical illumination of Zn nanoparticles (Zn(NP)) suspended in water. The concomitant hydrogen (H
2
) evolution during synthesis was found to be linear, and it is dependent on the growth of the Zn/ZnO nano interface. The progressively increasing amount of ZnO relative to Zn(NP) was a limiting factor in H
2
evolution. Two different Zn/ZnO nanoscale heterointerfaces were created and samples were extracted at two different stages of the illumination process. The first sample, extracted from the most reactive illumination phase and named Zn(NP)/ZnO-R, had the highest hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) rate. The second sample, extracted from a less reactive illumination phase and named Zn(NP)/ZnO-S, had a lower HER rate. These
in situ
(solar light-induced) samples were characterized by XRD, HRTEM, and other methods. The optoelectronic features and the photoelectrochemical (PEC) investigations showed the optimal light-harvesting ability of Zn(NP)/ZnO-R and the effective separation of photoexcited charge carriers, leading to remarkable HER performance. During the visible-light-induced (
in situ
) conversion of Zn(NP) to Zn(NP)/ZnO-R, a concurrent HER rate of 1115 μmol h
−1
was observed. Indeed, the photocurrent density value of the Zn(NP)/ZnO-R catalyst is significantly higher than that of Zn(NP)/ZnO-S, pristine Zn(NP), and ZnO. Thus, this study provides new insights into the optimal fabrication of the Zn(NP)/ZnO interface for PEC application with concomitant solar hydrogen generation. |
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ISSN: | 1144-0546 1369-9261 |
DOI: | 10.1039/D2NJ05431K |