Reduced graphene oxide-intercalated graphene oxide nano-hybrid for enhanced photoelectrochemical water reduction
Source abstract
Abstract
Abstract This paper reports on the synthesis of reduced graphene oxide (RGO)-intercataled graphene oxide (GO) nano-hybrid and investigates its application in photoelectrochemical (PEC) water reduction. The optical, structural, and morphological properties of RGO-intercalated GO (RGO/GO) nano-hybrid were studied using UV–Visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The reduction of GO to RGO was studied using FTIR spectroscopy. The XRD and FTIR investigation shows the strong π–π stacking interactions between the layered GO host–RGO guest sheets. An improvement in PEC water reduction activity was exhibited by RGO/GO nano-hybrid photoelectrode, with a maximum photocurrent of − 61.35 μA/cm2 for RGO 1 wt% in GO versus − 42.80 μA/cm2 for pristine GO photoelectrode (43% improvement). The mechanism for photocurrent enhancement was studied by electrochemical impedance analysis. The PEC performance enhancement of RGO/RO nano-hybrid photoelectrode is attributed to the strong π–π stacking interactions between RGO and GO, leading to superior electron collection and transportation by RGO and hence reduced charge carrier recombination. In addition, the UV–Visible absorption and Taut plot analysis showed the higher light harvesting efficiency of the RGO/GO compared to GO, displaying a band gap of 2.58 eV and 3.11 eV for RGO/GO and GO, respectively. The findings of this work show the potential of a strongly coupled layered host–guest nano-hybrids for high-performance optoelectronic materials. Graphic abstract
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques · Graphene research and applications · Ga2O3 and related materials
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
References (50)
Show source-provided references
1. Fujishima, A., Honda, K.: Electrochemical photolysis of water at a semiconductor electrode. Nature 238, 37 (1972)10.1038/238037a0 ↗
2. Aragaw, B.A., Pan, C.J., Su, W.N., Chen, H.M., Rick, J., Hwang, B.J.: Facile one-pot controlled synthesis of Sn and C codoped single crystal TiO2 nanowire arrays for highly efficient photoelectrochemical water splitting. Appl. Catal. B Environ. 163, 478–486 (2015)10.1016/j.apcatb.2014.08.027 ↗
3. Tamirat, A.G., Su, W.-N., Dubale, A.A., Chen, H.-M., Hwang, B.-J.: Photoelectrochemical water splitting at low applied potential using a NiOOH coated codoped (Sn, Zr) α-Fe2O3 photoanode. J. Mater. Chem. A 3, 5949–5961 (2015)10.1039/C4TA06915C ↗
4. Dubale, A.A., Pan, C.J., Tamirat, A.G., Chen, H.M., Su, W.N., Chen, C.H., Rick, J., Ayele, D.W., Aragaw, B.A., Lee, J.F., Yang, Y.W., Hwang, B.J.: Heterostructured Cu2O/CuO decorated with nickel as a highly efficient photocathode for photoelectrochemical water reduction. J. Mater. Chem. A 3, 12482–12499 (2015)10.1039/C5TA01961C ↗
5. Dubale, A.A., Su, W.N., Tamirat, A.G., Pan, C.J., Aragaw, B.A., Chen, H.M., Chen, C.H., Hwang, B.J.: The synergetic effect of graphene on Cu2O nanowire arrays as a highly efficient hydrogen evolution photocathode in water splitting. J. Mater. Chem. A 2, 18383–18397 (2014)10.1039/C4TA03464C ↗
6. Kalanur, S.S., Duy, L.T., Seo, H.: Recent progress in photoelectrochemical water splitting activity of WO3 photoanodes. Top. Catal. 61, 1043–1076 (2018)10.1007/s11244-018-0950-1 ↗
7. Montes-Navajas, P., Asenjo, N.G., Santamaría, R., Menéndez, R., Corma, A., García, H.: Surface area measurement of graphene oxide in aqueous solutions. Langmuir 29, 13443–13448 (2013)10.1021/la4029904 ↗
8. Wang, X., Maeda, K., Thomas, A., Takanabe, K., Xin, G., Carlsson, J.M., Domen, K., Antonietti, M.: A metal-free polymeric photocatalyst for hydrogen production from water under visible light. Nat. Mater. 8, 76 (2008)10.1038/nmat2317 ↗
9. Yeh, T.-F., Syu, J.-M., Cheng, C., Chang, T.-H., Teng, H.: Graphite oxide as a photocatalyst for hydrogen production from water. Adv. Funct. Mater. 20, 2255–2262 (2010)10.1002/adfm.201000274 ↗
10. Yeh, T.-F., Chan, F.-F., Hsieh, C.-T., Teng, H.: Graphite oxide with different oxygenated levels for hydrogen and oxygen production from water under illumination: the band positions of graphite oxide. J. Phys. Chem. C 115, 22587–22597 (2011)10.1021/jp204856c ↗
11. Matsumoto, Y., Koinuma, M., Ida, S., Hayami, S., Taniguchi, T., Hatakeyama, K., Tateishi, H., Watanabe, Y., Amano, S.: Photoreaction of graphene oxide nanosheets in water. J. Phys. Chem. C 115, 19280–19286 (2011)10.1021/jp206348s ↗
12. Yeh, T.-F., Chen, S.-J., Yeh, C.-S., Teng, H.: Tuning the electronic structure of graphite oxide through ammonia treatment for photocatalytic generation of H2 and O2 from water splitting. J. Phys. Chem. C 117, 6516–6524 (2013)10.1021/jp312613r ↗
13. Mou, Z., Dong, Y., Li, S., Du, Y., Wang, X., Yang, P., Wang, S.: Eosin Y functionalized graphene for photocatalytic hydrogen production from water. Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 36, 8885–8893 (2011)10.1016/j.ijhydene.2011.05.003 ↗
14. Min, S., Lu, G.: Dye-sensitized reduced graphene oxide photocatalysts for highly efficient visible-light-driven water reduction. J. Phys. Chem. C 115, 13938–13945 (2011)10.1021/jp203750z ↗
15. Yeh, T.-F., Cihlář, J., Chang, C.-Y., Cheng, C., Teng, H.: Roles of graphene oxide in photocatalytic water splitting. Mater. Today 16, 78–84 (2013)10.1016/j.mattod.2013.03.006 ↗
16. Chen, D., Zhang, H., Liu, Y., Li, J.: Graphene and its derivatives for the development of solar cells, photoelectrochemical, and photocatalytic applications. Energy Environ. Sci. 6, 1362–1387 (2013)10.1039/c3ee23586f ↗
17. Krishnamoorthy, K., Mohan, R., Kim, S.J.: Graphene oxide as a photocatalytic material. Appl. Phys. Lett. 98, 244101 (2011)10.1063/1.3599453 ↗
18. Oh, J., Chang, Y.H., Kim, Y.-H., Park, S.: Thickness-dependent photocatalytic performance of graphite oxide for degrading organic pollutants under visible light. PCCP 18, 10882–10886 (2016)10.1039/C6CP00582A ↗
19. Hsu, H.-C., Shown, I., Wei, H.-Y., Chang, Y.-C., Du, H.-Y., Lin, Y.-G., Tseng, C.-A., Wang, C.-H., Chen, L.-C., Lin, Y.-C., Chen, K.-H.: Graphene oxide as a promising photocatalyst for CO2 to methanol conversion. Nanoscale 5, 262–268 (2013)10.1039/C2NR31718D ↗
20. Kumar, P., Bansiwal, A., Labhsetwar, N., Jain, S.L.: Visible light assisted photocatalytic reduction of CO2 using a graphene oxide supported heteroleptic ruthenium complex. Green Chem. 17, 1605–1609 (2015)10.1039/C4GC01400F ↗
21. Marszewski, M., Cao, S., Yu, J., Jaroniec, M.: Semiconductor-based photocatalytic CO2 conversion. Mater. Horiz. 2, 261–278 (2015)10.1039/C4MH00176A ↗
22. Kumar, S., Yadav, R.K., Ram, K., Aguiar, A., Koh, J., Sobral, A.J.F.N.: Graphene oxide modified cobalt metallated porphyrin photocatalyst for conversion of formic acid from carbon dioxide. J. CO2 Util. 27, 107–114 (2018)10.1016/j.jcou.2018.07.008 ↗
23. Kumar, S., Wani, M.Y., Arranja, C.T., Castro, R.A.E., Paixão, J.A., Sobral, A.J.F.N.: Synthesis, physicochemical and optical properties of bis-thiosemicarbazone functionalized graphene oxide. Spectrochim. Acta A 188, 183–188 (2018)10.1016/j.saa.2017.06.045 ↗
24. Sun, L., Du, T., Hu, C., Chen, J., Lu, J., Lu, Z., Han, H.: Antibacterial activity of graphene oxide/g-C3N4 composite through photocatalytic disinfection under visible light. ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng. 5, 8693–8701 (2017)10.1021/acssuschemeng.7b01431 ↗
25. Liu, Y., Zeng, X., Hu, X., Hu, J., Zhang, X.: Two-dimensional nanomaterials for photocatalytic water disinfection: recent progress and future challenges. J. Chem. Technol. Biotechnol. 94, 22–37 (2019)10.1002/jctb.5779 ↗
26. Wei, Y., Zhu, Y., Jiang, Y.: Photocatalytic self-cleaning carbon nitride nanotube intercalated reduced graphene oxide membranes for enhanced water purification. Chem. Eng. J. 356, 915–925 (2019)10.1016/j.cej.2018.09.108 ↗
27. Ng, Y.H., Iwase, A., Kudo, A., Amal, R.: Reducing graphene oxide on a visible-light BiVO4 photocatalyst for an enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 1, 2607–2612 (2010)10.1021/jz100978u ↗
28. Wang, H., Dai, H.: Strongly coupled inorganic–nano-carbon hybrid materials for energy storage. Chem. Soc. Rev. 42, 3088–3113 (2013)10.1039/c2cs35307e ↗
29. Wang, N., Zhou, Y., Chen, C., Cheng, L., Ding, H.: A g-C3N4 supported graphene oxide/Ag3PO4 composite with remarkably enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light. Catal. Commun. 73, 74–79 (2016)10.1016/j.catcom.2015.10.015 ↗
30. Tamirat, A.G., Su, W.-N., Dubale, A.A., Pan, C.-J., Chen, H.-M., Ayele, D.W., Lee, J.-F., Hwang, B.-J.: Efficient photoelectrochemical water splitting using three dimensional urchin-like hematite nanostructure modified with reduced graphene oxide. J. Power Sources 287, 119–128 (2015)10.1016/j.jpowsour.2015.04.042 ↗
31. Ng, Y.H., Lightcap, I.V., Goodwin, K., Matsumura, M., Kamat, P.V.: To what extent do graphene scaffolds improve the photovoltaic and photocatalytic response of TiO2 nanostructured films? J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 1, 2222–2227 (2010)10.1021/jz100728z ↗
32. Xiang, Q., Yu, J., Jaroniec, M.: Preparation and enhanced visible-light photocatalytic H2-production activity of graphene/C3N4 composites. J. Phys. Chem. C 115, 7355–7363 (2011)10.1021/jp200953k ↗
33. Babu, S.G., Vinoth, R., Narayana, P.S., Bahnemann, D., Neppolian, B.: Reduced graphene oxide wrapped Cu2O supported on C3N4: an efficient visible light responsive semiconductor photocatalyst. APL Mater. 3, 104415 (2015)10.1063/1.4928286 ↗
34. Zhang, Y., Mori, T., Niu, L., Ye, J.: Non-covalent doping of graphitic carbon nitride polymer with graphene: controlled electronic structure and enhanced optoelectronic conversion. Energy Environ. Sci. 4, 4517–4521 (2011)10.1039/c1ee01400e ↗
35. Hunter, C.A., Sanders, J.K.M.: The nature of π–π interactions. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 112, 5525–5534 (1990)10.1021/ja00170a016 ↗
36. Hummers, W.S., Offeman, R.E.: Preparation of graphitic oxide. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 80, 1339 (1958)10.1021/ja01539a017 ↗
37. Umadevi, D., Panigrahi, S., Sastry, G.N.: Noncovalent Interaction of Carbon Nanostructures. Acc. Chem. Res. 47, 2574–2581 (2014)10.1021/ar500168b ↗
38. Coates, J.P.: The interpretation of infrared spectra: published reference sources. Appl. Spectrosc. Rev. 31, 179–192 (1996)10.1080/05704929608000568 ↗
39. Gao, W.: The chemistry of graphene oxide. In: Gao, W. (ed.) Graphene oxide: reduction recipes, spectroscopy, and applications, pp. 61–95. Springer International Publishing, Cham (2015)10.1007/978-3-319-15500-5_3 ↗
40. Dreyer, D.R., Park, S., Bielawski, C.W., Ruoff, R.S.: The chemistry of graphene oxide. Chem. Soc. Rev. 39, 228–240 (2010)10.1039/B917103G ↗
41. Wang, H., Hao, Q., Yang, X., Lu, L., Wang, X.: Graphene oxide doped polyaniline for supercapacitors. Electrochem. Commun. 11, 1158–1161 (2009)10.1016/j.elecom.2009.03.036 ↗
42. Georgakilas, V., Tiwari, J.N., Kemp, K.C., Perman, J.A., Bourlinos, A.B., Kim, K.S., Zboril, R.: Noncovalent functionalization of graphene and graphene oxide for energy materials, biosensing, catalytic, and biomedical applications. Chem. Rev. 116, 5464–5519 (2016)10.1021/acs.chemrev.5b00620 ↗
43. Sun, Y., Li, C., Xu, Y., Bai, H., Yao, Z., Shi, G.: Chemically converted graphene as substrate for immobilizing and enhancing the activity of a polymeric catalyst. Chem. Commun. 46, 4740–4742 (2010)10.1039/c001635g ↗
44. Rabchinskii, M.K., Dideikin, A.T., Kirilenko, D.A., Baidakova, M.V., Shnitov, V.V., Roth, F., Konyakhin, S.V., Besedina, N.A., Pavlov, S.I., Kuricyn, R.A., Lebedeva, N.M., Brunkov, P.N., Vul’, A.Y.: Facile reduction of graphene oxide suspensions and films using glass wafers. Sci. Rep. 8, 14154 (2018)10.1038/s41598-018-32488-x ↗
45. Kumar, P.V., Bardhan, N.M., Tongay, S., Wu, J., Belcher, A.M., Grossman, J.C.: Scalable enhancement of graphene oxide properties by thermally driven phase transformation. Nat. Chem. 6, 151 (2013)10.1038/nchem.1820 ↗
46. Yan, J.-A., Xian, L., Chou, M.Y.: Structural and electronic properties of oxidized graphene. Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 086802 (2009)10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.086802 ↗
47. Li, D., Müller, M.B., Gilje, S., Kaner, R.B., Wallace, G.G.: Processable aqueous dispersions of graphene nanosheets. Nat. Nanotechnol. 3, 101 (2008)10.1038/nnano.2007.451 ↗
48. Beranek, R.: (Photo)electrochemical methods for the determination of the band edge positions of TiO2-based nanomaterials. Adv. Phys. Chem. 2011, 20 (2011)10.1155/2011/786759 ↗
49. Liu, Z., Liu, Q., Huang, Y., Ma, Y., Yin, S., Zhang, X., Sun, W., Chen, Y.: Organic photovoltaic devices based on a novel acceptor material: graphene. Adv. Mater. 20, 3924–3930 (2008)10.1002/adma.200800366 ↗
50. Tang, Y.-B., Lee, C.-S., Xu, J., Liu, Z.-T., Chen, Z.-H., He, Z., Cao, Y.-L., Yuan, G., Song, H., Chen, L., Luo, L., Cheng, H.-M., Zhang, W.-J., Bello, I., Lee, S.-T.: Incorporation of graphenes in nanostructured TiO2 films via molecular grafting for dye-sensitized solar cell application. ACS Nano 4, 3482–3488 (2010)10.1021/nn100449w ↗