Fabrication and research of bi-functional CuNi2S4 nanosheets decorated TiO2/CuNi2S4 heterojunction photoanode for photoelectrochemical water splitting

doi:10.1088/1674-1056/acef06

Abstract As a traditional n-type semiconductor, TiO₂ has good UV absorption ability and stable physical and chemical properties. However, its wide band gap and low oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity limit its application in the field of photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. In this work, a type-II TiO₂/CuNi₂S₄ heterojunction photoanode is successfully constructed, which expanded the light absorption range to visible and enhanced the OER activity. Firstly, TiO₂ nanotubes (NTs) thin films are prepared on Ti substrates by two-step anodization, and then the bi-functional electrocatalytic material CuNi₂S₄ is grown on TiO₂ NTs in the shape of nanosheets (NSs) in situ by solvothermal method. As a bi-functional electrocatalytic material, CuNi₂S₄ has good visible light absorption property as well as OER catalytic activity. Compared with TiO₂, the IPCE value of TiO₂/CuNi₂S₄ is 2.59% at 635 nm, and that of TiO₂ is a mere 0.002%. The separation efficiency and injection efficiency increase from 2.49% and 31.52% to 3.61% and 87.77%, respectively. At 1.23 V vs. RHE, the maximum photocurrent density is 0.26 mA/cm², which is 2.6 times than that of TiO₂ (0.11 mA/cm²), and can be maintained at 0.25 mA/cm² for at least 2 h under light illumination. Moreover, a hydrogen production rate of 4.21 μ mol· cm^-2·h^-1 is achieved within 2 h. This work provides a new idea for the application of TiO₂ in the field of PEC water splitting and the construction of efficient and stable photoelectronic devices.

Keywords: TiO₂ CuNi₂S₄ high stability photoelectrochemical properties

Received: 16 May 2023
Revised: 28 July 2023
Accepted manuscript online: 11 August 2023

PACS:	82.47.Jk	(Photoelectrochemical cells, photoelectrochromic and other hybrid electrochemical energy storage devices)
	81.07.-b	(Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization)
	85.35.Kt	(Nanotube devices)

Fund: Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11974276 and 11804274), the Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province of China (Grant No. 2023-JC-YB-139), the Open Research Fund of State Key Laboratory of Transient Optics and Photonics, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. SKLST202211).

Corresponding Authors: Hui Miao, Xiaoyun Hu
E-mail: huim@nwu.edu.cn;hxy3275@nwu.edu.cn

Cite this article:

Wei Jin(金伟), Liyuan Zhang(张立媛), Wenjing Zhang(张文静), Qian Sun(孙倩), Dekai Zhang(张德恺), Hui Miao(苗慧), and Xiaoyun Hu(胡晓云) Fabrication and research of bi-functional CuNi₂S₄ nanosheets decorated TiO₂/CuNi₂S₄ heterojunction photoanode for photoelectrochemical water splitting 2023 Chin. Phys. B 32 118201

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Fabrication and research of bi-functional CuNi2S4 nanosheets decorated TiO2/CuNi2S4 heterojunction photoanode for photoelectrochemical water splitting

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Fabrication and research of bi-functional CuNi₂S₄ nanosheets decorated TiO₂/CuNi₂S₄ heterojunction photoanode for photoelectrochemical water splitting