Abstract
The use of ZnO as a photocatalyst with a reduced recombination rate of charge carriers and maximum visible light harvesting remains a challenge for researchers. Herein, we designed and synthesized a unique La/ZnO/CNTs heterojunction system via a sol–gel method to evaluate its photocatalytic performance for hydrogen evolution. A ferrocene powder catalyst was tested for the production of CNT forests over Si/SiO
2
/Al
2
O
3
substrate. A chemical vapor deposition (CVD) route was followed for the forest growth of CNTs. The La/ZnO/CNTs composite showed improved photocatalytic efficiency towards hydrogen evolution (184.8 mmol/h) in contrast to 10.2 mmol/h of pristine ZnO. The characterization results show that promoted photocatalytic activity over La/ZnO/NTs is attributed to the spatial separation of the charge carriers and extended optical absorption towards the visible light spectrum. The optimum photocatalyst shows a 16 h cycle performance for hydrogen evolution. The H
2
evolution rate under visible light illumination reached 10.2 mmol/h, 145.9 mmol/h and 184.8 mmol/h over ZnO, La/ZnO and La/ZnO/CNTs, respectively. Among the prepared photocatalysts, ZnO showed the lowest H
2
evolution rate due to the fast recombination of electron–hole pairs than heterojunction photocatalysts. This research paves the way for the development of ZnO and CNT-based photocatalysts with a wide optical response and reduced charge carrier recombinations.