Nanostructures: Hierarchical Metal/Semiconductor Nanostructure for Efficient Water Splitting (Small 13/2013)

Hierarchical ZnO nanostructures decorated with gold nanopariticles are fabricated by J.-H. Jang and co-workers. The nanostructures are used for solar-based water splitting. The results shown on page 2341 denote the possibility of enhancing light absorption properties via an efficient photon-trapping effect. A combination of properly designed nanostructures and surface plasmon resonance improves the performance of photocatalytic hydrogen generation.