Effective electron collection in highly (110)-oriented ZnO porous nanosheet framework photoanode.
A highly (110)-oriented ZnO porous nanosheet framework is designed as the photoanode in photoelectrochemical systems, by virtue of its anisotropic electronic properties. It can be facilely prepared in large scale via a hydrothermal method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses show that the orientation index of the (110) diffraction plane is 3.54, indicating the films possess (110) preferred orientation. Field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) images exhibit that most of the nanosheets stand nearly perpendicularly on the substrate. The {002} lattice planes work just like conducting wires and induce the electrons to transport to the substrate. Chronoamperometry measurement demonstrates an effective electron collection. When the nanostructured photoanode is introduced to dye-sensitized solar cells, a conversion efficiency of 3.7% is obtained. The photoanode also has potential application in the other photoelectrochemical systems, such as photocatalytical splitting of water.
Wang
Xiangyan
X
Eco-materials and Renewable Energy Research Center, Nanjing University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
Tian
Zhipeng
Z
Yu
Tao
T
Tian
Hanmin
H
Zhang
Jiyuan
J
Yuan
Shikui
S
Zhang
Xiaobo
X
Li
Zhaosheng
Z
Zou
Zhigang
Z