Synthesis of Zn₃V₂O₈/rGO Nanocomposite for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production

Abstract

In this study, zinc vanadate/reduced graphene oxide (Zn3V2O8/rGO) composite has been synthesized via a simple approach. Advanced characterization techniques (powder X-ray, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy) have been used to authenticate the formation of Zn3V2O8/rGO composite. Subsequently, Zn3V2O8/rGO was applied as photo-catalyst for hydrogen generation using photo-catalysis. The Zn3V2O8/rGO photo-catalyst exhibited a good hydrogen generation amount of 104.6 µmolg−1. The Zn3V2O8/rGO composite also demonstrates excellent cyclic stability which indicated better reusability of the photo-catalyst (Zn3V2O8/rGO). This work proposes a new photo-catalyst for H2 production application. We believe that the presence of synergistic interactions was responsible for the improved photo-catalytic properties of Zn3V2O8/rGO composite. The Zn3V2O8/rGO composite is an environmentally friendly and cost-effective photo-catalyst and can be used for photo-catalytic applications.

Keywords

• zinc vanadate
• hydrogen production
• Zn₃V₂O₈/rGO
• photo-catalyst