Acta Phys. -Chim. Sin. ›› 2013, Vol. 29 ›› Issue (11): 2399-2404.doi: 10.3866/PKU.WHXB201309061

• ELECTROCHEMISTRY AND NEW ENERGY • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Properties of Photogenerated Charge Carriers and Visible-Light Surface Photocurrent of Heterogeneous ZnO/BiVO4-V2O5 Structures

ZHANG Yu, LIN Shen, ZHANG Yu, SONG Xi-Ming   

  1. Liaoning Key Laboratory for Green Synthesis and Preparative Chemistry of Advanced Materials, College of Chemistry, Liaoning University, Shenyang 110036, P. R. China
  • Received:2013-05-27 Revised:2013-09-05 Published:2013-10-30
  • Contact: SONG Xi-Ming E-mail:songlab@lnu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:

    The project was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21203082, 51273087, 21071070), Natural Science Foundation of Liaoning Province (Educational Department), China (LT2011001), Natural Science Foundation of Liaoning Province (Science and Technology Department), China (201102084), and Foundation for Young Scholars of Liaoning University, China (2011LDQN02).

Abstract:

Spherical and flower-like ZnO micro/nanomaterials are synthesized through a hydrothermal method. ZnO/BiVO4-V2O5 composite structures are then prepared in a solution containing Bi(NO3)3 and NH4VO3.The samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopic (TEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Surface photovoltage (SPV), surface photocurrent (SPC), and transient photovoltage (TPV) techniques were used to investigate the generation and transport mechanisms of the photogenerated charge carriers in the heterogeneous ZnO/BiVO4-V2O5 structure. The composite materials show good photoelectric response to visible light. Highly efficient separation of photogenerated charge carriers is observed, and the so-formed charge carriers are long lived. Measurements of surface photocurrent by comb-like electrode were performed on the ZnO/BiVO4-V2O5 system. Under irradiation by weak monochromatic light (wavelength: 500 nm), the ZnO/BiVO4-V2O5composite materials generate surface photocurrent responses with good reproducibility.

Key words: Heterogeneous structure, Surface photocurrent, Surface photovoltage, Transient photovoltage, Photogenerated charge