Dispute in photocatalytic and photoluminescence behavior in ZnO/graphene oxide core-shell nanoparticles

Abstract ZnO/graphene oxide core-shell nanoparticles (ZGNPs) were prepared by via in-situ chemical synthesis and electrolysis. This report addresses the disagreement in the photocatalytic and photoluminescence behavior in this system. XRD, Raman, HRTEM, PL and UV–Vis were able to confirm ZnO nanoparticles and core-shell structures formation at various temperatures. A little shift was observed in Raman for ZGNPs after conjugating. PL showed a few peaks that were not related to the graphene, which depends on the synthesis route and defects. After conjugating between ZnO and Graphene, two mechanisms are suggested. The first is band structure modification in the boundary of core and shell. The second one is diffusion of functional group in GO as a dopant on ZnO surface.