Elevating photoelectrochemical water splitting efficiency using synergistic CuO@ZBO photocathode

초록

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting offers a sustainable energy solution, but stability in photocathode materials remains a challenge. This study investigates a composite of copper oxide (CuO) and zinc bismuth oxide (ZnBi2O4, ZBO) annealed at various temperatures. Many characterization techniques revealed superior performance in the CuO@ZBO nanocomposite. This material achieved a high photocurrent density of -1.202 mA cm-2 at 0.0 V vs. RHE, three times greater than pure CuO, with enhanced stability. The improvement stems from the composite's reduced bandgap, indicating that less photon energy is required to excite electrons, thereby decreasing the recombination efficiency of photogenerated electron - hole pairs, and ZBO's protective role against photo-corrosion. These findings highlight the promise of CuO@ZBO nanocomposites for advancing PEC water splitting.

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