title: Improved photocatalytic activity in RuO2-ZnO nanoparticulate heterostructures due to inhomogeneous space charge effects.
abstract: New 2-6 wt% RuO2-ZnO heterojunction nanocatalysts were synthesized by a straightforward two-step procedure. They were composed of a porous network of aggregated 25 nm wurtzite ZnO nanocrystallites modified with RuO2 and showed enhanced light absorption in the visible region due to surface plasmon resonance. In order to investigate the energetic structure of the photocatalyst XPS core line and valence band spectra of in situ in UHV prepared heterointerfaces were compared to results obtained from the particles. The shift of Zn 2p3/2 and O 1s core level spectra was determined to be at least 0.80 ± 0.05 eV for the in situ prepared heterojunction whereas it was found to be 0.40 ± 0.05 and 0.45 ± 0.05 eV, respectively, in the photocatalysts. The different values were ascribed to the reduced size of the particles and the different measurability of band bending at the interface of the heterojunction RuO2-ZnO compared to the nanoparticles. The RuO2/ZnO photocatalysts showed higher photocatalytic activity and recyclability than pure ZnO for the degradation of various dyes under UV light irradiation due to vectorial charge separation of photogenerated electrons and holes resulting from internal electric field, the ruthenium oxide acting as a quasi-metallic contact.
authors.affiliation: Institut des Sciences Moléculaires, ISM UMR 5255 CNRS Groupe Matériaux, Université de Bordeaux, 33405 Talence Cédex, France. t.toupance@ism.u-bordeaux1.fr.
authors.forename: Md Tamez
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Uddin
authors.forename: Yohann
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nicolas
authors.forename: Céline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Olivier
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Servant
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Toupance
authors.forename: Shunyi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Wolfram
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jaegermann