We developed monodisperse ZnO nanocapsules and atmospheric N plasma was used to develop a ZnO-organic nanocomposite. To test the seal of the ZnO nanocapsule, the halide perovskite CH3NH3PbBr3 was used as the filler. Al atoms were doped into ZnO nanorods to increase the conductivity of ZnO nanorods. A green emission peak located at 535 nm was observed in the nanocapsules with a 410 nm excitation because of the free-exciton recombination of CH3NH3PbBr3. The Al-doped ZnO (AZO)/CH3NH3PbBr3 nanocapsules was further tested under using a three-electrode photoelectrochemistry cell. AZO/CH3NH3PbBr3 nanocapsule arrays yield an elevated photocurrent of approximately 0.2 mA/cm2 at 1 V versus Ag/AgCl under air mass 1.5 (AM 1.5), almost 1.5 times larger than that of the AZO nanorod arrays. The photo-current stability of AZO/CH3NH3PbBr3 nanocapsule arrays photoelectrode is better than that of AZO nanorod arrays under a repeated on/off light test. This confirmed that the AZO/CH3NH3PbBr3 nanocapsules had been successfully sealed and that the degradation of CH3NH3PbNBr3 was thus dramatically reduced. Our study yields a novel platform for nanoscale optical and optoelectronic devices or for delivery of highly toxic drugs.
Keywords: ZnO; drug deliver; nanocapsule; nanotube; perovskite; photoelectrochemistry.