Improved Solar-Driven Photocatalytic Activity of Hybrid Graphene Quantum Dots/ZnO Nanowires: A Direct Z-Scheme Mechanism

Herein, an electrochemical technique as a cost-effective and one-step approach was utilized to fabricate graphene quantum dots (GQDs). Different amounts of GQDs (0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8, and 1.2 wt %) were decorated uniformly on the surface of anodized ZnO nanowires (NWs) forming GQD/ZnO NWs. Transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy confirmed formation of GQDs on the ZnO NWs, 12–22 nm in width and 1–3 graphene layers thick. X-ray...