Enhanced Optical and Photocatalytic Properties of Au/Ag Nanoparticle-decorated ZnO Films

• Published in: Journal of electronic materials Vol. 49; no. 4; pp. 2625 - 2632
• Main Authors: Thinh, V. D., Lam, V. D., Bach, T. N., Van, N. D., Manh, D. H., Tung, D. H., Lien, N. T. H., Thuy, U. T. D., Anh, T. X., Tung, N. T., Le, N. T. H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-04-2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Decoration; Electronics and Microelectronics; Emission spectra; Glass substrates; Gold; Instrumentation; Materials Science; Nanoparticles; Optical and Electronic Materials; Optical properties; Oxidation; Photocatalysis; Photodegradation; Photoluminescence; Rhodamine; Silver; Solid State Physics; Thickness; Zinc oxide; ZnO film; plasma electrolytic oxidation; photoluminescence; photocatalysis; noble metal
• ISSN: 0361-5235; 1543-186X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11664-020-07973-7

Plasmonic Au- and Ag-decorated ZnO films on a glass substrate were obtained by a plasma electrolyte oxidation method with high-voltage discharge, followed by the decoration of Au nanoparticles (NPs) on their surface. With the increasing concentration of the Ag precursor, the thickness of the Ag-ZnO films decreased and the width of the bandgap increased, causing an enhancement in the near band-edge ultraviolet (UV) emission. With the decoration of the Au NPs, the photoluminescence of the Ag-ZnO films exhibited quenching of the band-edge UV emission, accompanied by the suppression of the visible emission in the photoluminescence spectra, and a significant enhancement in the photocatalytic efficiency for the photodegradation of Rhodamine B under solar simulator irradiation.