Bandgap control of p-n heterojunction of CueCu2O @ ZnO with modified reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Abstract

Here, we describe the in-situ synthesis of multicomponent ZnO-based photocatalysts for hydrogen production. We fabricated ZnO coupled with Cu–Cu2O nanoparticles and modified reduced graphene oxide (mRGO) to ameliorate hydrogen production. The simultaneous introduction of mRGO and Cu–Cu2O enhanced the generation rate of photocatalytic hydrogen to 3085.02 μmol g−1 h−1 due to significant alteration of the electronic structure. The bandgap energy of the prepared catalysts decreased from 3.2 eV for pristine ZnO to 2.64 eV for a composite containing 15% Cu–Cu2O. The optimal designed heterostructure efficiently separates photo charge carriers and prevents charge carriers’ recombination by accelerating charge transfer with the help of mRGO and metallic Cu and as a result leading to efficient hydrogen yields.