Photocurrent applications of Zn(1-x)CdxO/rGO nanocomposites

Zn(1-x)CdxO(x=0.02)/reduced graphene (rGO) nanocomposites and Zn(1-x)CdxO nanoparticles (NPs) were used as photocurrent applications under an ultraviolet (UV) source illumination. A simple sol-gel method was used to synthesize and decorate the Zn0.98Cd0.02O NPs on graphene oxide sheets. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) images revealed that, the Zn0.98Cd0.02O NPs/rGO nanocomposites diameter was smaller as compared to the other NPs. X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy indicated that the graphene oxide (GO) sheets were reduced and transferred to reduced graphene oxide (rGO) during synthesis process. In addition, optical properties of the samples were studied by UV-visible spectroscopy and observed that the band gap of the nanoparticles was affected by rGO. Finally, photocurrent application of the samples was investigated and observed that, the Zn0.98Cd0.02O/rGO nanocomposites have higher photocurrent intensity and showed faster response to UV-illumination in comparison to the Zn0.98Cd0.02O and ZnO NPs. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.