posted on 2024-01-19, 21:07authored byJaemin Jung, Jae Ryeol Jeong, Cu Dang Van, Hye Yeon Yoo, Min Hyung Lee
One-dimensional
ZnO nanorods (NRs) have been extensively studied
as photoanodes because of their unique optical properties, high electron
mobility, and suitable band positions for water oxidation. However,
their practical efficiency is often compromised by chemical instability
during water oxidation and high carrier recombination rates. To overcome
this issue, precise morphological control of ZnO@ZnWO4 core–shell
structured photoanodes, featuring a ZnO core and a ZnWO4 shell was used. This was accomplished by depositing WO3 onto hydrothermally grown ZnO NRs using the thermal chemical vapor
deposition process. The photoelectrochemical performance of ZnO@ZnWO4 with an optimized morphology outperforms that of pristine
ZnO NRs. Systematic optical and electrochemical analyses of ZnO@ZnWO4 demonstrated that the enhancement is attributed to the enhanced
charge transfer efficiency facilitated by the optimized ZnWO4 shells.