Performance Optimization of Nickel-Doped CuCoO₂ for Photoelectrocatalytic Water Splitting.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Photocatalysis
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Delafossite CuCoO2 possesses a quasi-two-dimensional layered structure with favorable physicochemical properties.
• Its inherent safety, low toxicity, cost-effectiveness, and abundance make it a promising candidate for photocatalytic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of nickel doping on the crystal structure and optoelectronic properties of CuCoO2.
• To enhance the photocatalytic performance of CuCoO2 through nickel modification.

Main Methods:

• Nickel doping was employed to modify the CuCoO2 structure.
• Photoelectrochemical tests were conducted to evaluate photocatalytic activity.
• Band gap measurements and incident photon-to-current efficiency (IPCE) were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Increasing nickel doping reduced CuCoO2 crystal thickness and narrowed the band gap to 2.29 eV.
• 10% Ni-doped CuCoO2 achieved a photocurrent density of 80 μA/cm2 (4-fold increase) and required 450 mV overpotential for 100 mA/cm2.
• Doping resulted in a 3.6× increase in incident photon-to-current efficiency (IPCE).

Conclusions:

• Nickel doping is an effective strategy to enhance the optoelectronic properties of delafossite CuCoO2.
• The optimized Ni-doped CuCoO2 demonstrates significantly improved photocatalytic performance and durability.