Enhanced photoelectrochemical activity of Ce doped ZnO nanocomposite thin films under visible light

► Investigation of photoelectrochemical property of Ce doped ZnO nanocomposite thin films for the first time. ► Increasing the Ce concentration up to 10 at.% resulted in enhancement in photocurrent. ► The enhancement can be due to role of Ce ion as an electron trap during PEC reaction. ► Further addition of Ce into ZnO deteriorated the photosensitivity of the films.