Enhanced solar-driven water splitting by ZnO/CdTe heterostructure thin films-based photocatalysts

Solar-driven hydrogen production by water splitting using a photocatalyst is considered the most effective approach to produce hydrogen. Hydrogen is the most suitable renewable energy source. The efficiency of hydrogen production is still low. The efficiency of hydrogen production through photocatalysis can be enhanced by preparing a suitable and efficient photocatalyst. In this work, ZnO thin films were deposited on CdTe thin films at 600 °C, 650 °C, and 700 °C temperatures to form ZnO/CdTe heterostructure thin films by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) as photoelectrodes for water splitting. The photoelectrochemical properties showed that ZnO/CdTe heterostructure thin films have better photocurrent response compared to pristine ZnO and CdTe thin films. EIS results showed that the charge transfer at the electrode-electrolyte interface for ZnO/CdTe heterostructure thin films is much better than that of the pristine ZnO film. The ZnO/CdTe-700 °C heterostructure thin film has a 112-fold higher rate of photocatalytic hydrogen generation than pure ZnO.