Engineering an Ag/CuO/g-C₃N₄ heterojunction for high-efficiency solar-to-hydrogen conversion

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Photocatalysis
• Renewable Energy

Background:

• Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is crucial for sustainable hydrogen production.
• Developing efficient photoelectrodes with enhanced light absorption and charge transport is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a ternary Ag/CuO/g-C₃N₄ heterostructure for PEC water splitting.
• To optimize silver loading for maximum PEC performance.
• To investigate the synergistic effects of Ag, CuO, and g-C₃N₄ on photocatalytic activity.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of Ag/CuO/g-C₃N₄ ternary heterostructures.
• Characterization using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and UV-vis spectroscopy.
• Photoelectrochemical performance evaluation through photocurrent density measurements.

Main Results:

• Successful formation of CuO/g-C₃N₄ heterojunctions with effective Ag incorporation confirmed by XPS and FTIR.
• Enhanced visible-light absorption due to synergistic effects of CuO, g-C₃N₄, and Ag plasmonic resonance.
• The 3.34% Ag/CuO/g-C₃N₄ heterostructure achieved a maximum photocurrent density of -9.97 mA cm^-2.

Conclusions:

• The Ag/CuO/g-C₃N₄ heterostructure significantly improves PEC efficiency for water splitting.
• Optimized silver loading is critical for maximizing performance.
• This material shows great potential as a photoelectrode for efficient solar hydrogen production.