Electrodeposition of ZnSe thin film and its photocatalytic properties

ZnSe is an important and excellent II-VI semiconductor material, which has the direct transition band structure. In this paper, ZnSe thin films were prepared by electrochemical deposition method, and the effects of deposition potential and deposition time on the photocatalytic properties of the ZnSe thin films were studied systematically. The results showed that more positive potential and longer deposition time lead to the decrease of degradation efficiency. The deposition time has a significant effect on the degradation efficiency. The film which was prepared at the potential of -1 V (versus Pt) for 1 h showed the highest degradation efficiency, and methyl orange could be completely degraded within 5 h. The mechanisms for the photocatalytic activities were also discussed. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.