CuFeO2/Cu Photoelectrode Modified with SrTiO3 Perovskite for Efficient Hydrogen Generation from Sanitation Water

Abstract

We prepared a perovskite material, copper-doped strontium titanate (Cu-SrTiO3), using the chemical bath deposition method and cast it on a CuFeO2/Cu photoelectrode to generate hydrogen from sanitation water splitting. This preparation method considers a simple mass product and does not depend on complex techniques. The prepared perovskite materials had a compact nano-/microstructure. Both CuFeO2 and Cu-SrTiO3/CuFeO2 exhibited excellent optical properties, with bandgap values of 1.4 and 1.26 eV, respectively. Here, the prepared CuFeO2 and Cu-SrTiO3 thin films are used as photoelectrodes for hydrogen generation, and their current-voltage relationship is analyzed under various conditions, such as different light intensities, wavelengths, and temperatures. This approach is promising for using wastewater as a source of hydrogen gas without requiring any additional electrolyte, making it a dual-purpose approach for both hydrogen generation and wastewater treatment. Through the electrochemical study, increasing the light intensity from 25 to 100 mW.cm-2 resulted in a corresponding increase in the produced $J_{\text{ph}}$ values from -1.02 to -1.292 mA.cm-2. Similarly, the $J_{\text{ph}}$ values increased from -1.25 to -1.91 mA.cm-2 as the temperature increased from 30 to 70°C. We also calculated all thermodynamic parameters, the quantum efficiency (QE), and incident photon to current conversion efficiency (IPCE). For the Cu-SrTiO3/CuFeO2/Cu photoelectrode, the activation energy ( $E_a$ ) value was 14.14 kJ mol-1, while the $\Delta H^{\ast }$ and $\Delta S^{\ast }$ values were 11.46 kJ·mol-1 and 34.9 kJ-1·mol-1, respectively. Additionally, the IPCE value was 3.31%. The prepared photoelectrode showed high stability and low cost, making it a potential candidate for industrial applications.