Aminosilicate sol-gel supported zinc oxide-silver nanocomposite material for photoelectrocatalytic oxidation of methanol

A (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane supported zinc oxide-silver nanocomposite material [APS/(ZnO-Ag)NCM] was prepared by a simple chemical reduction method and their optical, structural, morphology, elemental and surface properties were studied by UV-DRS, PL, XRD, SEM, TEM, EDX and XPS analysis. The photoelectrocatalytic activity of APS/(ZnO-Ag)NCM modified electrode was investigated towards methanol oxidation. The modification of ZnO nanomaterial with silver nanoparticle resulted in improvement of interfacial charge transfer and minimized the electron-hole charge recombination process. This process significantly enhanced the photoelectrocatalytic activity and performance due to synergic effect of silver. The aminosilicate sol-gel support improved the deposition of silver metal on ZnO surface and it promotes efficient charge transfer in photoelectrocatalysis. The APS/(ZnO-Ag) modified electrode showed four-fold enhancement in photocurrent generation toward photoelectrocatalytic oxidation of methanol compared with ZnO. This aminosilicate sol-gel stabilized APS/(ZnO-Ag)NCM is an efficient photoelectrode for the photoelectrochemical applications. [Display omitted] •Aminosilicate supported (ZnO-Ag)NCM synthesized by chemical reduction method.•Silver reduced electron-hole charge recombination rate and increased charge separation.•The aminosilicate was improved deposition of silver on ZnO surface and promote charge transfer.•APS/(ZnO-Ag)NCM is potential candidate for photoelectrochemical methanol oxidation.