High-performance Vo-ZnO/ZnS benefiting nanoarchitectonics from the synergism between defect engineering and surface engineering for photoelectrochemical glucose sensors.

In this study, a ZnO/ZnS nanocluster heterojunction photoelectrode rich in surface oxygen defects (Vo-ZnO/ZnS) was prepared by applying a simple in situ anion substitution and nitrogen atmosphere annealing method. The synergism between defect and surface engineering significantly improved the photocatalysts. Given this synergism, Vo-ZnO/ZnS was endowed with a long carrier lifetime, narrow band gap, high carrier density, and high performance toward electron transfer under light conditions. Thus, Vo-ZnO/ZnS had three times the photocurrent density of ZnO under light illumination. To further evaluate its advantages in the field of photoelectric bioassay, Vo-ZnO/ZnS was applied as the photocathode of photoelectric sensor system for glucose detection. Vo-ZnO/ZnS showed excellent performance in glucose detection in various aspects, including a low detection limit, high detection sensitivity, and a wide detection range.