V ions implanted ZnO nanorod arrays for photoelectrochemical water splitting under visible light

• V ions were successfully injected into ZnO nanorod arrays by advanced ion implantation.
• V ion doping expanded the optical absorption of ZnO nanorod arrays into visible light region.
• V ions implanted ZnO nanorod arrays showed considerable photoelectrochemical activity in visible light.

In this work, V ions were doped into ZnO nanorod arrays via an advanced ion implantation method for photoelectrochemical water splitting under visible light. It was indicated that the V dopants were incorporated into ZnO lattice as V4+ and V5+ ions. V ion doping expanded the optical absorption of ZnO nanorod arrays into visible light region and led to considerable photoelectrochemical performance under visible light illumination (λ > 420 nm). The photocurrent density of V ions doped ZnO nanorod arrays could achieve 10.5 μA/cm2 at 0.8 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), which was about 4 times higher than that of the pure ZnO nanorod arrays. The enhancement in photoelectrochemical performances for V ions doped ZnO nanorod arrays should be attributed to the improved visible light absorption ability and the increased charge carrier density induced by V ion doping.

V ions implantation expands the optical absorption of ZnO into visible light, resulting in considerable photoelectrochemical water splitting performances under visible light irradiation.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide