Preparation of vertically aligned GaN@Ga2O3 core-shell heterostructured nanowire arrays and their photocatalytic activity for degradation of Rhodamine B

In this paper, vertically aligned GaN@Ga2O3 core-shell heterostructured nanowire arrays have been fabricated by thermal oxidation of GaN nanowire arrays. GaN nanowire arrays have been prepared by inductively coupled plasma etching. The GaN@Ga2O3 nanowire arrays have the good morphology and the thickness of the Ga2O3 shell can be controlled by the oxidation duration and temperature. The photocatalytic activity of vertically aligned GaN@Ga2O3 nanowires has been first evaluated by the degradation of Rhodamine B solution. Compared with the original GaN nanowires and the oxidized Ga2O3 nanowires, GaN@Ga2O3 nanowires exhibit superior photocatalytic activity. This finding suggests that GaN nanowire arrays with enhanced photocatalytic activity could be obtained by construct heterostructured GaN-based nanocomposite, which provides a new possibility for photocatalytic applications.