Photo-electrochemical study of TiO₂/Co₃O₄ thin films in polluted electrolyte: A promising route for coupling hydrogen production with water remediation

Journal article, 2024

The use of a photo-electrochemical cell (PEC) to produce hydrogen from wastewater is a promising innovation. In this context, this study investigates the impact of a pollutant on the photo-electrochemical properties of sol-gel synthesized TiO2 and TiO2-Co3O4 thin films for hydrogen production in a polluted electrolyte. Combining the photocatalytic properties of TiO2 with the electronic properties of Co3O4 offers an effective solution for achieving effective photo-electrochemical properties in polluted environments. Nevertheless, despite the lowest photo- catalytic activity, the hybrid thin film TiO2-Co3O4 with the highest Ti/Co ratio (1:0.5) shows the most promising performance with simultaneous 11.4 mu mol cm-- 2 h- 1 H2 2 production and 12% acid orange 7 degradation after 3 h irradiation under xenon light without the use of any sacrificial agent. This indicates that the electronic conductivity provided by the presence of Co(3)O(4 )is a critical property for achieving optimal performance in PEC coupling for hydrogen production and wastewater treatment.