Chromium incorporated copper vanadate nano-materials for hydrogen evolution by water splitting

Abstract

A noticeable development is going to be done by the researchers to fabricate the various highly efficient and effective photocatalytic materials to absorb the solar energy. Copper vanadate (Cu3V2O8) being a promising photocatalyst with 2.0 eV indirect forbidden bandgap low redox potential, suitable chemical stability to capture major region (Visible) of solar spectrum from the metal halide lamp 400 W. Chromium metal is incorporated with pure form of copper vanadate material (Cr:Cu3V2O8) to get more production of hydrogen energy from the splitting of water molecules. Chromium atoms were synthesized via hydrothermal technique from the precursors including sodium vanadate (NH4VO3) and chromium chloride (CrCl3) at 180 °C for 24 h which further incorporated (1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0%, and 2.5%) in copper vanadate-nanostructured photocatalyst. Morphological dimensions, chemical composition and atomic percentages, structural crystal phases with particle size and optical intensity absorption properties were investigated by used characterization tools such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis) and photoluminescence emission spectroscopy (PL). Structural phases variations from monoclinic (pure, 1.0% and 1.5%) to trigonal (2.0% and 2.5%) observed by the XRD pattern with particle size up to 45.3–52 nm averagely, decreased with depending upon the incorporated ratio of chromium metal atoms attached at the lattice sites of the pure copper vanadate. Comparing all the results are the clear intimation that prepared Cr:Cu3V2O8 up to specific value (2.0%) has tremendous and optimized photocatalytic performance towards the production of hydrogen energy from the splitting of water molecules through photoelectrochemical and photochemical photocatalysis. Copper vanadate with incorporated chromium metal (Cr:Cu3V2O8) is suitable and favorable nanostructured photocatalyst to attribute the absorption of visible radiations and perform outstanding activity for energy production applications.