Plasmon-enhanced photocatalytic properties of Au/ZnO nanowires

Using sunlight as renewable resource has stimulated the development of sustainable photocatalysts that can collect visible light. Semiconductor nanowire-based photocatalysts have attracted increasing interest due to their unique optical, electronic, and structural advantages. Here, noble metal-semiconductor hybrid Au/ZnO nanowires have been fabricated by chemical vapor deposition method. The hybrid photocatalysts were well characterized by SEM, TEM, EDS, XRD, XPS, UV-visible spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Compared with ZnO nanowires, Au/ZnO heterostructures exhibited significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance due to the synergistic combination of Au and ZnO. Optical properties were modeled to support our interpretation of photocatalytic mechanisms. Our work provides a feasible strategy to prepare plasmonic photocatalysts and will also deepen the understanding of the plasmon enhanced photocatalytic performance in hybrid photocatalysts.

Automated summary

This study fabricates noble metal-semiconductor hybrid Au/ZnO nanowires photocatalysts and characterizes them comprehensively. Compared with ZnO nanowires, Au/ZnO heterostructures exhibit significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance, providing a feasible strategy to prepare plasmonic photocatalysts.