Photoelectrochemical Conversion of Sewage Water into H-2 Fuel over the CuFeO2/CuO/Cu Composite Electrode

This study describes the synthesis of delafossite, CuFeO2, as a primary photocatalytic material for hydrogen generation. A photoelectrode, CuFeO2/CuO/Cu, was prepared by combusting a Cu foil dipped in FeCl3 in ambient air. This photoelectrode showed excellent optical behavior for the hydrogen generation reaction from sewage water, producing 90 mu mol/h of H-2. The chemical structure was confirmed through XRD and XPS analyses, and the crystalline rhombohedral shape of CuFeO2 was confirmed using SEM and TEM analyses. With a bandgap of 1.35 ev, the prepared material displayed excellent optical properties. Electrochemical measurements for H-2 gas generation were carried out using the CuFeO2/CuO/Cu photoelectrode, comparing the effect of light and dark and monochromatic wavelength light. The electrode exhibited significant enhancement in light compared to dark, with current density (J(ph)) values of -0.83 and -0.1 mA center dot cm(-2), respectively. The monochromatic light also had a noticeable effect, with the J(ph) value increasing from -0.45 to -0.79 mA center dot cm(-2) as the wavelength increased from 640 to 390 nm. This system is cheap and durable, making it a promising solution for hydrogen gas fuel generation in the industry.