Research Projects

The overall PEC water splitting is a potential approach to resolving the global energy crisis. The efficiency of PEC-WS is determined by three consecutive processes: the generation of photoinduced electron-hole pairs, their separation and transfer of charges; and the oxidation and reduction of water molecules by at the respective electrodes. TMC nanostructure for PEC-WS faces fast recombination and slow migration of photogenerated charge carriers. The band alignment between photoactive materials for each half-reaction is vital but difficult to optimize in conventional single-material systems. Heterostructures, where different materials with complementary attributes may boost the charge separation and prolong charge carriers’ lifetime. To facilitate rapid charge transfer, separation, sluggish electron-hole recombination rate the presence of scavengers are needed. To expand their absorption range to visible light and improve the efficiency of solar energy conversion, several strategies, such as heterostructure construction, heteroatom doping and decoration with plasmonic materials, and using CNs. Combining CNs can improve the reagents active centre adsorption site, serve as electron acceptors or transmission channels to limit photoexcitation. The modified interface sites help in reducing the band gap energy extends the light absorption range. Therefore, holding photocatalysts by CNs can be an efficient strategy to boost charge carrier transfer by delayed recombination. To further enhance the photocatalytic efficiency and stability noble metal-based co-catalyst loading on the surface of photo-electrodes is a good idea. The light trapping by LSPR at interface results in photoluminescence quenching thus promoting excellent charge separation also formation of Schottky barriers at interface minimizing the fast recombination can also be a possible strategy. This can be achieved by loading the active catalytic sites through proper cocatalysts like decoration with plasmonic nanostructures with tunable LSPR depending upon shape and size. Composite of heterostructures of TMCs/CNs could potentially be a promising future of solar energy-led photocatalysis, specifically aimed at energy production. So, we study the role of CNs, the heterostructure of compound semiconductors, and the use of cocatalysts (metal/non-metals and noble metals) in the process. Moreover, the emphasis is on the mechanism, of how the separation of charge carriers and their migration is altered in such hybrid materials for improved hydrogen production via photocatalysis. Thus, we proposed a systematic study for synthesis and characterization of composites of metal-substituted heterostructures comprises of TMC photocatalyst (TiO2, CeO2, Fe2O3, WO3, BiVO4, etc.), carbon nanomaterials (activated carbon AC, graphene oxide GO, reduced graphene oxide rGO) with noble metal Ag; Au based plasmonic cocatalysts thereof for H2 generation in aqueous system.