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Al decorated ZnO thin-film photoanode for SPR-enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting

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Abstract

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting has been considered to be a promising approach to ease the energy and environmental crisis. Herein, Al decorated ZnO thin films are successfully achieved through a facile dc magnetron-sputtering method followed with Al evaporation for further enhanced PEC performance. The Al/ZnO thin film with 60 s Al evaporating time exhibits the highest photocurrent density under AM1.5G and visible light irradiation, which are more than 5 and 3 times as the pure ZnO film, respectively. Such surface modification by Al not only enlarges the visible light absorption based on surface plasmonic resonance effect, but facilitates the charge separation and transportation at the electrode/electrolyte interface. Finally, a possible mechanism is proposed for the photocatalytic activity enhancement of Al/ZnO thin film photoanode.

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Funding

This study was funded by Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant no. LGG18E020004) and Science and Technology Project of Zhejiang Province (Grant no. 2015C37037).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Materials and Environmental Engineering, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou, 310018, China

    Hongxia Li, Xin Li, Wei Dong & Junhua Xi

  2. College of Mechanical engineering, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou, 310018, China

    Xin Wu

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  1. Hongxia Li
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  2. Xin Li
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  3. Wei Dong
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  4. Junhua Xi
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  5. Xin Wu
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Correspondence to Hongxia Li or Xin Wu.

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Li, H., Li, X., Dong, W. et al. Al decorated ZnO thin-film photoanode for SPR-enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting. Appl. Phys. A 124, 412 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-018-1830-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-018-1830-z

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