Abstract
Zinc oxide (ZnO) doped antimony (Sb) nanowires have been synthesized for improving ultraviolet sensing and photocatalytic properties. Upon illumination by UV light (365 nm, 2.33 mW cm -2 ), the photoelectric current of the ZnO:Sb nanowires exhibited a rapid photoresponse as compared to that of the ZnO nanowires. A highest ratio of photocurrent to dark current of around 48.8-fold was achieved in the as-synthesized ZnO:Sb nanowires. A UV-visible spectrophotometer was used to investigate the absorbance spectrum of the ZnO:Sb nanowires, which exhibited a high absorbance ratio with redshift effect in contrast to that of the ZnO nanowires. Visible-light photocatalysis and UV photoresponsive properties of the ZnO:Sb nanowires are superior to those of the ZnO nanowires. © 2010 The Electrochemical Society.