Au–ZnO and Pt–ZnO Films Prepared by Electrodeposition as Photocatalysts

Abstract

Metal–semiconductor Au–ZnO and Pt–ZnO films were prepared for enhancing ZnO photocatalytic activity. To increase the photocatalytic area in a metal–semiconductor material system, we introduce an efficient method where the metal and semiconductor are codeposited by an electrochemical method. The photocatalytic activity of Au–ZnO shows a better performance than that of Pt–ZnO determined by the degradation ability of methelene blue. There is an optimized Au concentration (∼2%) in Au–ZnO film for its best photocatalytic activity.

Enhanced multi-phonon Raman scattering and nonlinear optical power limiting in ZnO:Au nanostructures

“…Being a wide and direct band gap ($3.37 eV) material with a large exciton binding energy (60 meV) and efficient light emission, semiconducting ZnO is a promising candidate for opto-electronics, 12,13 solar-cells, 14 sensors, 15 catalysis 16,17 and biological 18 applications. [22][23][24] Hybrid nanostructures consisting of Au and ZnO (ZnO:Au nanocomposites) with novel properties can be tailored for use in applications such as photo-catalysis, 25 biosensors 26 and solar cells. Noble metal NPs such as Ag and Au possess strong optical absorption at $430 nm and $530 nm by their plasmon resonances, respectively.…”

Facile synthesis of ZnAgO nanoflakes and their improved photocatalytic activities under sun light

“…Such reactions are generally carried out to degrade the toxic and hazardous effluents left out in the eco system by chemical industries. In spite of the rich meritorious traits available in ZnO, the lack of their ability to absorb visible portion of solar radiation has been reported to hinder their photocatalytic activity significantly [9,10]. Likewise, the higher recombination rate of electron-hole pairs in ZnO (on irradiation) has also been reported to suppress their efficiency considerably (as these reactions takes place at the interface between catalyst and pollutant).…”

Glucose-mediated solution–solid route for easy synthesis of Ag/ZnO particles with superior photocatalytic activity and photostability

“…Under irradiation, the electrons promoted from VB to CB of semiconductor will be captured by the metal NPs, prohibiting the recombination of photo-generated carriers and thus improving the photoelectrochemical performance of the semiconductor particles [22]. It was demonstrated that Pt/ZnO and Au/ZnO exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity [23][24][25][26][27][28][29]. However, the high price of Pt and Au is a concern for widespread industrial use.…”