InGaN Nanorods Decorated with Au Nanoparticles for Enhanced Water Splitting Based on Surface Plasmon Resonance Effects

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting has great application potential in converting solar energy into hydrogen energy. However, what stands in the way of the practical application of this technology is the low conversion efficiency, which can be promoted by optimizing the material structure and...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Qing Liu, Jiang Shi, Zhenzhu Xu, Bolin Zhang, Hongliang Liu, Yinlei Lin, Fangliang Gao, Shuti Li, Guoqiang Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-05-01
Series:Nanomaterials
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/10/5/912
Description
Summary:Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting has great application potential in converting solar energy into hydrogen energy. However, what stands in the way of the practical application of this technology is the low conversion efficiency, which can be promoted by optimizing the material structure and device design for surface functionalization. In this work, we deposited gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) with different loading densities on the surface of InGaN nanorod (NR) arrays through a chemical solvent route to obtain a composite PEC water splitting system. Enhanced photocatalytic activity, which can be demonstrated by the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect induced by Au NPs, occurred and was further confirmed to be associated with the different loading densities of Au NPs. These discoveries use solar water splitting as a platform and provide ideas for exploring the mechanism of SPR enhancement.
ISSN:2079-4991