Al Abass Nawal, Qahtan Talal F, Alansi Amani M, Bubshait Almqdad, Al-Ghamdi Maria, Albu Zahra, Albasiry Noof Soltan, Aljahfal Hisham Mohammed, Aldossary Abdulrahman E, Faraj Mohammed Tariq
King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Hydrogen Technologies Institute, Mailbox 6086, Riyadh 11442, Saudi Arabia.
Physics Department, College of Science and Humanities in Al-Kharj, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia.
Materials (Basel). 2025 Jan 19;18(2):444. doi: 10.3390/ma18020444.
With growing environmental concerns and the need for sustainable energy, multifunctional materials that can simultaneously address water treatment and clean energy production are in high demand. In this study, we developed a cost-effective method to synthesize zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires via the anodic oxidation of zinc foil. By carefully controlling the anodization time, we optimized the Zn/ZnO-5 min electrode to achieve impressive dual-function performance in terms of effective photoelectrocatalysis for water splitting and waste water treatment. The electrode exhibited a high photocurrent density of 1.18 mA/cm at 1.23 V vs. RHE and achieved a solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of 0.55%. A key factor behind this performance is the presence of surface defects, such as oxygen vacancies (OVs), which enhanced charge separation and boosted electron transport. In tests for waste water treatment, the Zn/ZnO-5 min electrode demonstrated the highly efficient degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye, with a reaction rate constant of 0.4211 min when exposed to light and a 1.0 V applied voltage significantly faster than using light or voltage alone. Electrochemical analyses, including impedance spectroscopy and voltammetry, further confirmed the superior charge transfer properties of the electrode under illumination, making it an excellent candidate for both energy conversion and pollutant removal. This study highlights the potential of using simple anodic oxidation to produce scalable and efficient ZnO-based photocatalysts. The dual-function capability of this material could pave the way for large-scale applications in renewable hydrogen production and advanced waste water treatment, offering a promising solution to some of today's most pressing environmental and energy challenges.
随着环境问题日益严重以及对可持续能源的需求不断增加，能够同时解决水处理和清洁能源生产问题的多功能材料备受关注。在本研究中，我们开发了一种经济高效的方法，通过锌箔的阳极氧化来合成氧化锌（ZnO）纳米线。通过仔细控制阳极氧化时间，我们优化了Zn/ZnO - 5分钟电极，使其在水分解和废水处理的有效光电催化方面展现出令人瞩目的双功能性能。该电极在相对于可逆氢电极（RHE）为1.23 V时表现出1.18 mA/cm的高光电流密度，实现了0.55%的太阳能到氢能的转换效率。这种性能背后的一个关键因素是表面缺陷的存在，如氧空位（OVs），它增强了电荷分离并促进了电子传输。在废水处理测试中，Zn/ZnO - 5分钟电极展示了对亚甲基蓝（MB）染料的高效降解，在光照和1.0 V施加电压下的反应速率常数为0.4211 min⁻¹，明显快于单独使用光或电压的情况。包括阻抗谱和伏安法在内的电化学分析进一步证实了该电极在光照下具有优异的电荷转移特性，使其成为能量转换和污染物去除的理想候选材料。本研究突出了使用简单阳极氧化制备可扩展且高效的ZnO基光催化剂的潜力。这种材料的双功能能力可为可再生氢生产和先进废水处理的大规模应用铺平道路，为当今一些最紧迫的环境和能源挑战提供了一个有前景的解决方案。
