Piezo-phototronic and plasmonic effect coupled Ag-NaNbO3 nanocomposite for enhanced photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical water splitting activity

Silver (Ag) nanoparticles decorated NaNbO3 nanorods (Ag-NaNbO3) based nanocomposite have been successfully synthesized by simple chemical solution method with the aim to couple the plasmonic and piezo-phototronic effect. The Ag-NaNbO3 nanocomposite showed much enhanced photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical water splitting properties as compared to bare NaNbO3. A similar to 10 fold enhancement in the photodecomposition of organic MB dye and a similar to 9 fold increment in the photocurrent density of photoelectrochemical water splitting was observed as compared to bare NaNbO3, which has been attributed to the combined plasmonic and piezo-phototronic effect. The plasmonic effect due to the presence of Ag nanoparticles on the NaNbO3 surface resulted in enhanced absorption of visible light and piezo-photoelectric effect resulted in better separation of the photogenerated charges due to the built-in electric field. This approach demonstrates a novel strategy for enhancing the performance of silver decorated semiconducting/piezoelectric material for achieving efficient photocatalytic dye degradation and PEC water splitting. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Silver nanoparticles decorated NaNbO3 nanorods based nanocomposite were successfully synthesized using a simple chemical solution method to enhance photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical water splitting properties. The synergistic plasmonic and piezo-phototronic effects resulted in significant enhancement in the photodecomposition of organic dye and photocurrent density in comparison to bare NaNbO3. This approach demonstrates a novel strategy for improving the performance of silver decorated semiconductor/piezoelectric material for efficient photocatalytic dye degradation and PEC water splitting.