近年來再生能源及綠色能源的發展逐漸受到重視，燃料電池為未來將取代石化燃料的綠色能源之一，氫能的概念也慢慢的被提出，越來越多的研究如何更有效的製造氫氣並且儲存氫氣。利用半導體作為材料，光催化及光電化學電解水為最有潛力的產氫方法，在太陽光的照射下就能得到氫氣及氧氣，而不會對環境造成汙染。
氧化鋅(Zinc oxide, ZnO)是一種n型直接能隙半導體，其能隙為3.3eV，可吸收紫外光波段的能量，具有好的物理及化學性質，其導電性佳且化學穩定性好，在C軸優選方向成長而有優異的壓電及壓光效應，因此也是常被選為光電化學電解水的陽極材料。在氫能燃料為前瞻的將來，更具有效率的提升電解水視為重要的議題，本研究結合摻雜和壓電效應的方式來提升陽極ZnO的光電化學反應。
水熱法製備氧化鋅奈米柱，可以在低溫的環境下成長，其成本低，藉由改變濃度和成長時間，能控制奈米柱的疏密程度及長度，以此來達到最佳的光電化學反應，一維的奈米結構具有良好的方向性，電子能在奈米結構中有效地傳遞，且具有高面積體積比可提高與電解液接觸的面積。在水熱法成長的過程中，摻雜不同含量的銻，得到p-type的ZnO奈米柱，最大摻雜的量為2 at% Sb，能增加在光電催化下ZnO的光電流，在0.1 M Na2SO4的電解液中0.5 V (V vs Ag/AgCl)的光電流為1.07 mA/cm2，利用自製的施力裝置在ZnO光電催化的同時施加拉伸應力與壓縮應力，並探討n-type 的ZnO及p-type的ZnO受力對於光電化學作用的影響。

In a process of photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting, We demonstrated the effective strategy for improvement of the photocurrent density. We synthesize the ZnO nanorods on flexible ITO/PET substrate by hydrothermal method. When tensile or compressive strains were applied on ZnO anode, we observed a enhancement and reduction of the photocurrent density, respectively. The Schottky barrier height at the interface of ZnO and ITO changed, which is result of piezoelectric potential lead to the photocurrent density variation. Under the tensile strain, ε = 0.15%, the photocurrent density is 0.63mA/cm2 (at 0.5V Ag/AgCl) and the efficiency can yield ~10% improvement of the maxium PEC efficiency. Sb-dpoed ZnO nanorods have more photogenerated electron-hole pairs than undoped ZnO nanorods. The photocurrent density of 2 at% Sb-doped ZnO NRs is 1.07 mA/cm2. Sb-doping can increased the piezoelectric potential at ZnO/ITO interface in the PEC system. The Sb-doped ZnO NRs with tensile strains are 3 times or 4 time more efficiency than the Sb-doped ZnO NRs without strains.

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