Synthesis of zinc germanium oxynitride with nanotube morphology by nitridation of Zn2GeO4 nanorod and its photocatalytic activity

摘要

Photocatalysts have drawn considerable attention due to their potential contribution to realize artificial photosynthesis. Especially, oxynitrides have recently been studied as visible-light photocatalysts because of their shallow band gaps. Zinc germanium oxynitride, (Zn_(1+x)Ge)(N2O_x), which is a solid solution of ZnO and ZnGeN2 with a small band gap of 2.6-2.8 eV, is well known as a stable visible-light-responsive photocatalyst in the application of water splitting and conversion of CO2 to fuels. Not only the inherent physical properties but also the related morphology of the crystals largely affect their photocatalytic performance.