A facile approach to ZnO/CdS nanoarrays and their photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical properties

ZnO nanorods were successfully deposited on Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) glass by electrochemical deposition, during which initial pulse potential proves important for the fast nucleation and even distribution of ZnO. CdS nanoparticles were coated outside the as-prepared ZnO nanorods by chemical-bath deposition forming ZnO/CdS nanoarrays. The nanoarrays were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, and photoelectrochemistry. The short-circuit current density (J(sc)) of some ZnO/CdS sample showed over 3.3 mA/cm(2) under solar-simulated illumination. The ZnO/CdS nanoarrays showed promising photocatalytic activity with respect to the degradation of Eriochrome Black T (EBT). The relatively high photoelectrochemical properties and photocatalytic performance under visible light irradiation can be ascribed to the enhanced visible light harvest from CdS and charge separation by the coupling of the semiconductors. The combination of electrodeposition and chemical-bath deposition can provide a simple and facile approach to the fabrication of one-dimensional nanocomposites. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.