In situ ALD growth of ZnO thin films incorporating Cu nanoparticles for Solar-driven photocatalysis
7 affiliations
- 1University of Rijeka, Faculty of Physics, Radmile Matejčić 2, 51 000, Rijeka, Croatia; University of Rijeka, Center for Micro- and Nanosciences and Technologies, Radmile Matejčić 2, 51 000, Rijeka, Croatia; Corresponding authors.
- 2University of Rijeka, Faculty of Physics, Radmile Matejčić 2, 51 000, Rijeka, Croatia; University of Rijeka, Center for Micro- and Nanosciences and Technologies, Radmile Matejčić 2, 51 000, Rijeka, Croatia
- 3Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova Cesta 39, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- 4University of Rijeka, Faculty of Physics, Radmile Matejčić 2, 51 000, Rijeka, Croatia
- 5Centre for Advanced Laser Techniques, Institute of Physics, Bijenička Cesta 46, 10 000, Zagreb, Croatia
- 6University of Rijeka, Faculty of Physics, Radmile Matejčić 2, 51 000, Rijeka, Croatia; CIC nanoGUNE, Tolosa Hiribidea, 76, 20018, Donostia- San Sebastian, Gipuzkoa, Spain; Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, Plaza Euskadi 3, Bilbao, E-48009, Spain
- 7Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova Cesta 39, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Jamova Cesta 39, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Abstract
This study investigates ZnO thin films incorporating copper nanoparticles (Cu NPs) as efficient photocatalysts for solar-driven wastewater treatment. The ZnO@Cu composite films were fabricated by in-situ integration of Cu NPs into the ZnO during atomic layer deposition (ALD) growth. Structural characterization by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electron microscopy confirmed the preservation of the wurtzite ZnO structure, with metallic Cu NPs of an average size of around 80 nm embedded into the semiconductor matrix. UV–vis spectroscopy demonstrated enhanced visible-light absorption by the ZnO@Cu films - which is attributed to the localized surface plasmon resonance in Cu nanoparticles, while Kelvin probe force microscopy revealed local variations in ZnO surface potential in the vicinity of Cu NPs, indicating electron transfer from ZnO to Cu and the formation of a Schottky-type barrier at ZnO/Cu interface. Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB), Rhodamine B (RhB), and caffeine under simulated solar irradiation demonstrated significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance of the ZnO@Cu films compared to pristine ZnO. The ZnO@Cu photocatalyst achieved degradation efficiencies of 78.2%, 89.6%, and 38.5% for MB, RhB, and caffeine, respectively, in contrast to pure ZnO, which showed degradation efficiencies of 44.4% (MB), 42.4% (RhB), and 14.2% (caffeine), confirming the effectiveness of the ZnO@Cu composite toward both dye and emerging organic pollutants. The improved photocatalytic performance is attributed to the injection of hot-electrons from Cu NPs into the ZnO conduction band, as revealed from our photoconductivity measurements, which show nearly two orders of magnitude larger photoinduced carrier generation in ZnO@Cu films under simulated sunlight illumination. These results demonstrate that Cu NPs effectively enhance charge-carrier generation and utilization in ZnO, leading to improved solar-driven photocatalytic activity.
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BibTeX
@article{peter2026situ,
title = {{In situ ALD growth of ZnO thin films incorporating Cu nanoparticles for Solar-driven photocatalysis}},
author = {Robert Peter and Daria Jardas Babić and Matejka Podlogar and Nik Gračanin and Karlo Veličan and Iva Šarić Janković and Rafaela Radičić and Nikša Krstulović and Iva Šrut Rakić and Marko Kralj and Mato Knez and Blaž Jaklič and Ivna Kavre Piltaver},
journal = {Applied Surface Science Advances},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.apsadv.2026.101055},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsadv.2026.101055},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - In situ ALD growth of ZnO thin films incorporating Cu nanoparticles for Solar-driven photocatalysis
AU - Robert Peter
AU - Daria Jardas Babić
AU - Matejka Podlogar
AU - Nik Gračanin
AU - Karlo Veličan
AU - Iva Šarić Janković
AU - Rafaela Radičić
AU - Nikša Krstulović
AU - Iva Šrut Rakić
AU - Marko Kralj
AU - Mato Knez
AU - Blaž Jaklič
AU - Ivna Kavre Piltaver
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/24
JO - Applied Surface Science Advances
DO - 10.1016/j.apsadv.2026.101055
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsadv.2026.101055
AB - This study investigates ZnO thin films incorporating copper nanoparticles (Cu NPs) as efficient photocatalysts for solar-driven wastewater treatment. The ZnO@Cu composite films were fabricated by in-situ integration of Cu NPs into the ZnO during atomic layer deposition (ALD) growth. Structural characterization by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electron microscopy confirmed the preservation of the wurtzite ZnO structure, with metallic Cu NPs of an average size of around 80 nm embedded into the semiconductor matrix. UV–vis spectroscopy demonstrated enhanced visible-light absorption by the ZnO@Cu films - which is attributed to the localized surface plasmon resonance in Cu nanoparticles, while Kelvin probe force microscopy revealed local variations in ZnO surface potential in the vicinity of Cu NPs, indicating electron transfer from ZnO to Cu and the formation of a Schottky-type barrier at ZnO/Cu interface. Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB), Rhodamine B (RhB), and caffeine under simulated solar irradiation demonstrated significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance of the ZnO@Cu films compared to pristine ZnO. The ZnO@Cu photocatalyst achieved degradation efficiencies of 78.2%, 89.6%, and 38.5% for MB, RhB, and caffeine, respectively, in contrast to pure ZnO, which showed degradation efficiencies of 44.4% (MB), 42.4% (RhB), and 14.2% (caffeine), confirming the effectiveness of the ZnO@Cu composite toward both dye and emerging organic pollutants. The improved photocatalytic performance is attributed to the injection of hot-electrons from Cu NPs into the ZnO conduction band, as revealed from our photoconductivity measurements, which show nearly two orders of magnitude larger photoinduced carrier generation in ZnO@Cu films under simulated sunlight illumination. These results demonstrate that Cu NPs effectively enhance charge-carrier generation and utilization in ZnO, leading to improved solar-driven photocatalytic activity.
SN - 2666-5239
ER -