Photonic Fano Resonance of Multishaped Cu2O Nanoparticles on ZnO Nanowires Modulating Efficiency of Hydrogen Generation in Water Splitting Cell

Abstract

The different-shape Cu2O nanostructured in solar water splitting system serves as the photon absorber structure for modulating photoelectric conversion to challenge the issue of the high resistance and low electronic mobility with the different light trapping effect due to the orientation and geometry of Cu2O. Finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulation results demonstrate that the Cu2O nanostructured of truncated octahedral exhibits photonic Fano resonance compared with the other shapes. The generation rate of electrons and holes can rise with truncated octahedral Cu2O nanostructures on the ZnO nanowires. By combining solar water splitting with photonic Fano resonance, we can use a lower voltage 0.7 V (the standard potential of the water electrolysis is −1.23 V) to splitting water, and then separate H2 and O2 into different electrodes. The hydrogen generation rate of truncated octahedral Cu2O can reach 3 × 10–4 ml/s·cm2, which is about 10 times higher than that of Cu2O in other shapes by modulating p...