Ag2S/ZnO Nanocomposite Photoelectrode Prepared by Hydrothermal Method Based on Influence of Growth Temperature

Abstract Silver sulfide (Ag 2 S) attached to ZnO nanorods film has been successfully prepared by two-step process of hydrothermal method. The prepared photoelectrodes are characterized by (FESEM), (EDS), (XRD), (UV-Vis) and photoelectrochemical measurements (PEC). The results revealed that Ag 2 S was deposited onto the surface of ZnO nanorods under the effect of various growth temperature conditions. Enhanced absorption in the visible region and efficient transfer of photoelectron between Ag 2 S/ZnO/ITO photoelectrode and the electrolyte redox were highlighted under the illumination intensity of 100 mW cm -2 . The band gap values of the five different growth temperatures ranging from 50 °C to 90 °C were found to decrease from 2.93 eV to 1.57 eV. Besides, the photoelectrochemical measurements verified that Ag 2 S/ZnO nanocomposite grew at 60 °C exhibited net photocurrent density of 3.97 mA/cm 2 at 1.0 V. Based on the findings of this study, it was suggested that Ag 2 S/ZnO nanocomposite is an efficient alternative in photoelectrode applications.