Graphene-semiconductor nanocomposites: Excited-state interactions between ZnO nanoparticles and graphene oxide

Graphene oxide sheets suspended in ethanol interact with excited ZnO nanoparticles and undergo photocatalytic reduction. The luminescence quenching of the green emission of ZnO serves as a probe to monitor the electron transfer from excited ZnO to graphene oxide. Anchoring of ZnO nanoparticles on 2-D carbon nanostructures provides a new way to design semiconductor-carbon nanocomposites for catalytic applications.