Spongy ball-like copper oxide nanostructure modified by reduced graphene oxide for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production

Abstract In this study, spongy ball-like CuO and CuO/rGO photocatalysts were successfully synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method and further studied for photocatalytic hydrogen production activity. The CuO and CuO/rGO photocatalysts were analyzed by various structural, morphological, and optical characterization techniques. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy studies revealed that the CuO/rGO composite was formed without the presence of any secondary phase or impurities. The optical results demonstrated that the band gap lies in the visible range of the solar spectrum. The comparative study revealed that the CuO/rGO composite displays superior photocatalytic hydrogen production activity in comparison to CuO. Also, the CuO/rGO composite shows a hydrogen production rate of 19.2 mmol h−1 g−1 which was nearly 3 times higher than that of the CuO photocatalyst (6.8 mmol h−1 g−1).