Intersected nonpolar ZnO nanosail arrays aligned epitaxially on LiGaO2 substrate towards enhanced photoelectrochemical responses

Abstract

Abstract Intersected nonpolar ZnO nanosail arrays were fabricated epitaxially on Au‐coated LiGaO2 (010) substrate by chemical vapor deposition. In spite of five growth directions, the novel two‐dimensional (2D) nanostructure was confirmed to be single‐crystalline by X‐ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The anisotropy of growth and surface energy in three directions as well as the equivalency of crystallography should be responsible for the formation of intersected 2D nanosail arrays. Compared with those of polar nanoprisms and nonpolar film samples, the nanosail arrays exhibit superior photoelectrochemical performances of photocurrent density (620 µA cm–2 at 0.2 V vs. SCE) and photoconversion efficiency. The enhanced photoelectrochemical responses were attributed to the unique nanostructure with large surface area and high surface‐to‐volume ratio as well as nonpolar characteristic. This work demonstrates a simple, low‐cost and pattern‐free pathway to prepare aligned 2D nanosail arrays for technological applications.

Keywords

• intersected nanostructure
• nanosail arrays
• nonpolar ZnO
• photoelectrochemical