Abstract
In this study, we fabricated Er-doped ZnO/CuS/Au core-shell nanowires using two-step wet chemical methods and an ion-sputtering method on a glass substrate as a bifunctional photocatalytic and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate. The characteristic properties of as-prepared photocatalysts were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, DR/UV-Vis spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Compared with Er-doped ZnO nanowires and Er-doped ZnO/CuS core-shell nanowires, Er-doped ZnO/CuS/Au core-shell nanowires exhibited remarkably photocatalytic activity to degrade acid orange 7 solutions under blue LED light. These results ascribed to the Er-doped ZnO/CuS/Au core-shell nanowires can enhance the visible-light absorbance and the separation efficiency of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, inducing their higher photocatalytic activity under blue LED light. In addition, Er-doped ZnO/CuS/Au core-shell nanowires exhibit high sensitivity, a low detection limit (10−6 M), uniformity, recyclability, and stability of SERS performance for detected acid orange 7.
Highlights
Different kinds of metal sulfides have attracted a large amount of attention because of their unique chemical and physical properties [1,2,3,4]
The surface morphology of Er-doped ZnO nanowires and Er-doped ZnO/CuS coreshell nanowires were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM)
CatalysFtsig2u02r1e, 811. ,(1a3)4P7hotocatalytic activities of Er-doped ZnO/CuS/Au core-shell nanowires with various scavengers under blu1e0 of 13 LED light. (b) Schematic diagram of the electron transfer mechanism of Er-doped ZnO/CuS/Au core-shell nanowires under blue LED light
Summary
Different kinds of metal sulfides have attracted a large amount of attention because of their unique chemical and physical properties [1,2,3,4]. There are several different kinds of CuS-semiconductor heterostructures synthesized for significantly enhanced photocatalytic efficiency, such as BiOCl/CuS [28], CuS/ZnS [25,29], ZnO/CuS [27,30], CuS/TiO2 [31], PrGO (partially reduced graphene oxide)/CuS [12], and CuS@CuGaS2 [8]. ZnO/CuS heterostructures have attracted extensive interest because of their special bandgap location, which can inhibit the recombination of photogenerated charge carriers by preventing photocorrosion from enhancing their photocatalytic activity [32]. Metal-doped ZnO has been proven to inhibit the recombination of charge carriers and reduce the bandgap for improved visible-light-driven photocatalytic applications [27]. Acid orange 7 is generally used for dyeing silk, wool fabrics, leather, and paper [33]
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