Monochromatic visible light-driven photocatalysis realized on 2D ZnO shell arrays

Using sunlight to solve energy shortage and pollution problems is still a hot but challenging issue. Because of this, we have demonstrated a novel and simple approach to fabricating a 2D shell array structure to enhance the interaction between incident light and the material. The enhancement remarkably increased the two-photon excitation efficiency of the material and, utilizing the two-photon induced electron-hole pairs in ZnO, we realized photocatalysis under monochromatic visible light for the first time. The method and theory described in this paper provide the basis for realizing high-efficiency sunlight-driven photocatalysts and also show a new way to improve the performance of photoelectric and photonic devices.