Ag2S/ZnO Nanorods Composite Photoelectrode Prepared by Hydrothermal Method: Influence of Growth Temperature

• Published in: Optik (Stuttgart) Vol. 184; pp. 473 - 479
• Main Authors: Holi, Araa Mebdir, Zainal, Zulkarnain, Ayal, Asmaa Kadim, Chang, Sook-Keng, Lim, Hong Ngee, Talib, Zainal Abidin, Yap, Chi-Chin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier GmbH 01-05-2019
• Subjects: Ag2S; Hydrothermal deposition; Nanocomposite; Photoelectrode; ZnO; Ag2S; ZnO; Nanocomposite; Hydrothermal deposition; Photoelectrode
• ISSN: 0030-4026; 1618-1336
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijleo.2019.03.010

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Silver sulfide (Ag2S) attached to ZnO nanorods film has been successfully prepared by a two-step hydrothermal process. The prepared photoelectrodes were characterized by Field Emission Scanning Eletron Microscopy (FESEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), UV-vis spectrophotometry (UV–vis) and photoelectrochemical measurements (PEC). The results revealed that Ag2S deposited onto the surface of ZnO nanorods was under the influence of growth temperature. The absorption in the visible region and efficient transfer of photoelectron between Ag2S/ZnO/ITO photoelectrode and the redox species in the electrolyte were significantly enhanced under the illumination intensity of 100 mW cm−2. The band gap values of the five different growth temperatures ranging from 50 °C to 90 °C were found to decrease from 2.93 eV to 1.57 eV. Besides, the photoelectrochemical measurements verified that Ag2S/ZnO nanocomposite grown at 60 °C exhibited the highest photocurrent density of 3.97 mA/cm2 at 1.0 V. The findings suggested that Ag2S/ZnO nanocomposite is an efficient alternative for photoelectrode applications.