Fabrication of ZnO/CdS core/shell nanowire arrays for efficient solar energy conversion

Abstract

ZnO/CdS core/shell nanowire heterostructure arrays are fabricated by a two-step chemical solution method for use in semiconductor-sensitized photoelectrochemical cells (PECs). The successive ion layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) shows a remarkable controllability of CdS shell thickness, which affects visible-light absorption properties and PEC performances of the heterostructures. The cell has a high short-circuit photocurrent density of 7.23 mA/cm² with a power conversion efficiency of 3.53% under AM 1.5G illumination at 100 mW/cm². These results demonstrate that the ZnO/CdS core/shell heterostructure nanowire arrays can provide a facile and compatible frame for the potential applications in nanowire-based solar cells.