ZnO:GaN thin films for photoelectrochemical water splitting application Available to Purchase

ZnO and mixed ZnO:GaN thin films were synthesized on fluorine-doped tin oxide substrates by reactive radio frequency magnetron sputtering in mixed N2 and O2 ambient. Mixed ZnO:GaN films exhibited better crystallinity compared to ZnO film and bandgap narrowing was observed for mixed ZnO:GaN thin films. The n-type conductivity is revealed for both ZnO and ZnO:GaN thin films by Mott-Schottky plots as well as photocurrent polarity in current-voltage (I-V) analysis. ZnO:GaN thin films exhibited improved photocurrents than ZnO films. Our results suggest a potential method for synthesizing heterogeneous photocatalysts with both high crystallinity and bandgap reduction, which should help to improve their photoelectrochemical performance.