Advanced Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Generation by CdO-g-C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> in Aqueous Medium under Visible Light
Naseer Iqbal,
Muhammad Shahzeb Khan,
Muhammad Zubair,
Safyan Akram Khan,
Asghar Ali,
Naif Aldhafeeri,
Saud Alsahli,
Misheal Alanzi,
Abdelazeez Enazi,
Talal Alroyle,
Abdullatif Alrashidi
Affiliations
Naseer Iqbal
Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Hafr Al Batin, P.O. Box 1803, Hafr Al Batin 39524, Saudi Arabia
Muhammad Shahzeb Khan
Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Hafr Al Batin, P.O. Box 1803, Hafr Al Batin 39524, Saudi Arabia
Muhammad Zubair
Department of Physics, College of Science, University of Hafr Al Batin, P.O. Box 1803, Hafr Al Batin 39524, Saudi Arabia
Safyan Akram Khan
Interdisciplinary Research Center for Hydrogen & Energy Storage (IRC-HES), King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM), P.O. Box 5040, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
Asghar Ali
Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Hafr Al Batin, P.O. Box 1803, Hafr Al Batin 39524, Saudi Arabia
Naif Aldhafeeri
Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Hafr Al Batin, P.O. Box 1803, Hafr Al Batin 39524, Saudi Arabia
Saud Alsahli
Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Hafr Al Batin, P.O. Box 1803, Hafr Al Batin 39524, Saudi Arabia
Misheal Alanzi
Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Hafr Al Batin, P.O. Box 1803, Hafr Al Batin 39524, Saudi Arabia
Abdelazeez Enazi
Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Hafr Al Batin, P.O. Box 1803, Hafr Al Batin 39524, Saudi Arabia
Talal Alroyle
Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Hafr Al Batin, P.O. Box 1803, Hafr Al Batin 39524, Saudi Arabia
Abdullatif Alrashidi
Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Hafr Al Batin, P.O. Box 1803, Hafr Al Batin 39524, Saudi Arabia
Herein, hydrothermal fabrication of CdO-g-C3N4 photocatalyst for a substantially better photocatalytic recital in water splitting is presented. The XRD analysis confirms the cubic phase of CdO-g-C3N4, whereas FTIR and UV-VIS studies revealed the presence of respective groups and a median band gap energy (2.55 eV) of the photocatalyst, respectively, which further enhanced its photo-electrochemical (PEC) properties. The SEM displays the oblong structures of g-C3N4 sheets and nano rod-like morphology of CdO and CdO-g-C3N4, respectively. The HR-TEM exhibits morphology & orientation of the grains and substantiates the polycrystal-line nature of CdO-g-C3N4 nanocomposite. The photocatalytic water-splitting concert is evaluated by PEC experiments under 1 SUN visible light irradiation. Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), chronoamperometry (CA), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) comprehend the CdO-g-C3N4 as a hydrogen evolution photocatalyst. A photocurrent density beyond ≥5 mA/cm2 is recorded from CdO-g-C3N4, which is 5–6 folds greater than pure CdO and g-C3N4. The efficient separation and transfer of charges allocated to CdO-g-C3N4 and fabricating heterojunctions between g-C3N4 and CdO suppresses the unfavorable electron-hole pairs recombination process. Thus, it recesses charge transfer resistance, augmenting enhanced photocatalytic performance under 1 SUN irradiation.
