https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-023-04374-7
Regular Article
Ag doping enhancement of photoelectrochemical performance of ZnO nanoparticles
1
Laboratoire de physique des matériaux et nanomatériaux appliqués à l’environnement, Faculté des sciences de Gabes, Département de Physique, 6079, Gabes, Tunisie
2
Research Center for Advanced Materials Science (RCAMS), King Khalid University, P.O. Box 9004, 61413, Abha, Saudi Arabia
3
Laboratoire Technologie, Energie and Matériaux Innovants, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Gafsa, Sidi Ahmed Zarroug, 2112, Gafsa, Tunisia
4
Basic and Applied Scientific Research Center, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, 31441, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
5
Department of Physics, College of Science, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, 31441, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
6
Laboratoire de nanomatériaux et des systèmes pour les énergies renouvelables, Centre de Recherches et des Technologies de l’Energie, BP.95, 2050, Hammam Lif, Tunisie
7
Department of Applied Physics and Astronomy, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Received:
19
February
2023
Accepted:
11
August
2023
Published online:
24
August
2023
In this paper, we report on co-precipitation and spin coating process to prepare pure and silver (Ag)-doped nanostructured zinc oxide thin layers, with different Ag concentrations up to 2 at.%. X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique was used to study the crystalline properties of prepared samples. XRD investigation as exhibiting a wurtzite-type hexagonal phase, and a decrease in crystallite size with increasing Ag doping level. On optical analysis, both transmission and photoluminescence measurements highlight a pronounced impact attributed to the introduction of Ag doping. The optical findings underscore a notable shift in the optical band gap, as evidenced by UV–Visible measurements, indicating a transition from 3.27 eV prior to doping to 3.22 eV following the incorporation of 2 at.% Ag within the ZnO matrix. Additionally, a comprehensive exploration of photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensing characteristics was conducted. It is worth noting that among the assorted photo-anodes encompassing diverse Ag-dopant concentrations, the ZnO film infused with 0.5 at.% Ag showcased remarkable attributes, displaying heightened responsiveness and the utmost level of photoconduction sensitivity.
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© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2023. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
