Influence of gold core concentration on visible photocatalytic activity of gold-zinc sulfide core-shell nanoparticle

In this research work, we have proposed a facile route for synthesis of Au@ZnS core-shell nanocomposite with single or multiple cores. The ZnS nanostructure shows a broad visible photoluminescence that gets quenched with an increase in Au core concentration. The photoconductivity under visible light exhibits a 21 fold increase in photo current density (0.068-1.43 mu A) when there is a four-time increase in Au core concentration. The visible photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methyl orange dye is found to be much higher for Au@ZnS nanocomposite with multiple cores. The electrochemical impedance study show that the charge transfer resistance of Au@ZnS thin film gets reduced with an increase in concentration of Au core. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.