Engineering the photoelectrochemical behaviors of ZnO for efficient solar water splitting

Solar water splitting is a promising strategy for the sustainable production of renewable hydrogen and solving the world’s crisis of energy and environment. The third-generation direct bandgap semiconductor of zinc oxide (ZnO) with properties of environmental friendliness and high efficiency for various photocatalytic reactions, is a suitable material for photoanodes because of its appropriate band structure, fine surface structure, and high electron mobility. However, practical applications of ZnO are usually limited by its high recombination rate of photogenerated electron–hole pairs, lack of surface reaction force, inadequate visible light response, and intrinsic photocorrosion. Given the lack of review on ZnO’s application in photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting, this paper reviews ZnO’s research progress in PEC water splitting. It commences with the basic principle of PEC water splitting and the structure and properties of ZnO. Then, we explicitly describe the related strategies to solve the above problems of ZnO as a photoanode, including morphology control, doping modification, construction of heterostructure, and the piezo-photoelectric enhancement of ZnO. This review aims to comprehensively describe recent findings and developments of ZnO in PEC water splitting and to provide a useful reference for the further application and development of ZnO nanomaterials in highly efficient PEC water splitting.