In-situ growth of Cu2ZnSnS4 nanosheets on TiO2 nanowires for enhanced photoelectrochemical performance

The Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) was firstly wrapped uniformly throughout the surface of TiO2 nanowire arrays (NWs) via in-situ solvothermal method. It was found that the shape of time-dependent CZTS evolved from nanoparticles to nanosheets, and the size and deposition amount of CZTS could be controlled by adjusting the reactant concentration. Then, the CZTS/TiO2 NWs heterostructure electrodes were prepared and characterized respectively by photoelectrochemical response measurements, optical measurements, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results showed that the optimized CZTS/TiO2 NWs sample exhibited enhanced photoelectrochemical performance, with the photocurrent density being 23.2 times as high as that of the pure TiO2 NWs electrode and the efficiency for hydrogen generation reaching 1.1%. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.