Photon-induced Water Splitting Experimental and Kinetic Studies with a Hydrothermally Prepared TiO2-doped Rgo Photocatalyst

A nanocomposite of TiO2 and reduced rapheme oxide (rGO) has been synthesized for hydrogen generation by photoelectrochemical water splitting reactions. Synthesis of the rGO/TiO2 nanocomposite was done by hydrothermal processing. The hydrothermal process induced a dual action of rapheme oxide (GO) reduction and the deposition of TiO(2 )nanoparticles over the surfaces of rGO nanoplatelets. To confirm the nanocomposite's structure, the samples' characterization has been done using EDS, FTIR, XPS, and BET analysis. According to the UV-Vis/DRS examination, the rGO/TiO2 nanocomposite, especially rGO-15%TiO2, gave better visible light capture than other samples. The binary mixture of rGO and TiO2 nanoparticles performed better in terms of phtocatalytic H-2 generation and stability in comparison with the bare TiO2 and rGO. The photocatalytic activity of a photocatalyst that had been manufactured was tested for photocatalytic H-2 generation. When compared to anatase TiO2 nanoparticles and bare rGO, the nanocomposite of rGO-15%TiO2 demonstrated a two-fold increase in photocatalytic H-2 production activity. The photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposite has been slightly affected by repeated usage, which is an indication of the catalyst stability. The effect of the reaction temperature on the rate constant showed apparent activation energy of 5 kJ/mol. This refers to the activation energy required for the slowest step in the photocatalytic reaction. In addition, the application outlook has also been demonstrated.