Remarkable oxygen evolution by Co-doped ZnO nanorods and visible light

Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) by photocatalysis remains as a bottleneck for overall water splitting. Herein, we report a new use of conventional Co doped ZnO nanorods with a band gap of 1.77 eV as a noble-metal-free photocatalyst for OER under visible light illumination. A remarkable performance of ca. 191.8 μmol/h is realized by 50 mg of the optimal Co doped ZnO photocatalyst and visible light illumination (>420 nm). The apparent quantum yields are ca. 22.8 % and 43.5 % at the wavelength of 420 nm and 380 nm, respectively. This research suggests the potential of this conventional material to hardness sunlight for efficient water splitting and other advanced photocatalytic applications.