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arXiv · 2506.14499

In situ growth of a type-II ZnO/ZnS heterostructure:From stability to band-offset

P. R. A de Oliveira·I. Coelho·G. Felix·P. Venezuela·F. Stavale
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Abstract

We have successfully obtained a ZnO/ZnS heterostructure by heating a ZnS(001) single crystal in a controlled impurities-free oxygen atmosphere. Combining X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM), we explore the stability, electronic structure, and morphology of that interface. Our XPS measurements reveal a binding energy shift of the core-level peaks, indicating a band-bending effect due to the formation of a hybrid ZnO/ZnS interface. In addition, AFM measurements show that exposure of ZnS single-crystal to an oxygen atmosphere leads to the formation of ZnO/ZnS-like islands. Interestingly, our band-offset estimation suggest a type-II heterostructure arrangement with suitable electronic edges positions that turn ZnO/ZnS heterostructure a promising platform for catalytic applications, particularly hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions.

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P. R. A de Oliveira, I. Coelho, G. Felix, P. Venezuela, F. Stavale. 2025-06-17. In situ growth of a type-II ZnO/ZnS heterostructure:From stability to band-offset. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.5c05124

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