Band Gap Engineering of ZnO using Core/Shell Morphology with Environmentally Benign Ag₂S Sensitizer for Efficient Light Harvesting and Enhanced Visible-Light Photocatalysis

Band gap engineering offers tunable optical and electronic properties of semiconductors in the development of efficient photovoltaic cells and photocatalysts. Our study demonstrates the band gap engineering of ZnO nanorods to develop a highly efficient visible-light photocatalyst. We engineered the band gap of ZnO nanorods by introducing the core/shell geometry with Ag₂S sensitizer as the shell. Introduction of the core/shell geometry evinces great promise for expanding the light-harvesting range and substantial suppression of charge carrier recombination, which are of supreme importance in the realm of photocatalysis. To unveil the superiority of Ag₂S as a sensitizer in engineering the band gap of ZnO in comparison to the Cd-based sensitizers, we also designed ZnO/CdS core/shell nanostructures having the same shell thickness. The photocatalytic performance of the resultant core/shell nanostructures toward methylene blue (MB) dye degradation has been studied. The results imply that the ZnO/Ag₂S core/shell nanostructures reveal 40- and 2-fold enhancement in degradation constant in comparison to the pure ZnO and ZnO/CdS core/shell nanostructures, respectively. This high efficiency is elucidated in terms of (i) efficient light harvesting owing to the incorporation of Ag₂S and (ii) smaller conduction band offset between ZnO and Ag₂S, promoting more efficient charge separation at the core/shell interface. A credible photodegradation mechanism for the MB dye deploying ZnO/Ag₂S core/shell nanostructures is proposed from the analysis of involved active species such as hydroxyl radicals (OH^•), electrons (e^–_CB), holes (h^<b>+</b>_VB), and superoxide radical anions (O₂^•–) in the photodegradation process utilizing various active species scavengers and EPR spectroscopy. The findings show that the MB oxidation is directed mainly by the assistance of hydroxyl radicals (OH^•). The results presented here provide new insights for developing band gap engineered semiconductor nanostructures for energy-harvesting applications and demonstrate Ag₂S to be a potential sensitizer to supersede Cd-based sensitizers for eco-friendly applications