High-performance photoresponse of carbon-doped ZnO/reduced graphene oxide hybrid nanocomposites under UV and visible illumination

Carbon-doped ZnO/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) hybrid nanocomposites have been prepared by ultrasonic-mixing rGO with carbon-doped ZnO nanowires in isopropanol. Their morphology and structure have been investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It can be seen that ZnO nanowires were wrapped with rGO sheets. The ZnO/rGO nanocomposites exhibit a fast and stable photoresponse under the UV and visible light irradiation. With the introduction of rGO, fast response time (120 ms) and rapid recovery time (80 ms) are achieved, which is attributed to the efficient charge transfer between the rGO and ZnO nanowires. © 2014 The Royal Society of Chemistry.