ZnO Nanowire and Silicon Nanocrystal Heterostructures for Photocatalytic Applications

This work reports the synthesis and materials characterization of novel heterogeneous nanostructures consisting of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires and silicon (Si) nanocrystals. Hydrothermal and non-thermal plasma synthesis techniques were utilized to create ZnO nanowires and Si nanocrystals, respectively. The heterostructures of ZnO nanowires and Si nanocrystals were formed and characterized using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, the Raman spectroscopy, and photoluminescence. The heterostructures have been evaluated for the photodegradation performance, demonstrating that the addition of Si nanocrystals to ZnO nanostructures improves the degradability under visible light.