Enhanced photoactivity and stability of carbon and nitrogen co-treated ZnO nanorod arrays for photoelectrochemical water splitting

We report the rational synthesis of carbon and nitrogen co-treated ZnO (denoted as CN/ZnO) nanorod arrays and their implementation in photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution. The CN/ZnO nanorods exhibit an enhanced photocurrent and stability owing to the improved light-harvesting ability, the reduced surface defects and the increased donor density.