Facile electrochemical synthesis of CeO2@Ag@CdSe nanotube arrays with enhanced photoelectrochemical performance

• 1、School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013
• 2、School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013

Abstract：In this work, for the first time, three-component CeO2@Ag@CdSe heterostructured nanotube arrays with remarkable photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties have been synthesized on the FTO substrate by an electrodeposition method. In this configuration, the modification with Ag nanoparticles can significantly strengthen the light-harvesting ability through the localized surface plasma resonance effect and provide an interior direct pathway to facilitate the separation and transport of photogenerated carriers. Therefore, the CeO2@Ag@CdSe heterostructured nanotubes generate a remarkable photocurrent density of 3.92 mA cm?2 at a potential of ?0.2 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), which is 4.9 times higher than that of two-component CeO2@CdSe system (0.802 mA cm?2). It also gives an incident photon to current conversion efficiency (IPCE) as high as 72 % at around 360 nm. Moreover, the photostability of the photoelectrode was tested over 16 min.

Keywords： Photoelectrochemical Electrodeposition Heterostructure Photostability