One‐Step Electrochemical Fabrication of Reduced Graphene Oxide/Cuprous Oxide Nanocomposite Thin Films for Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Properties

Abstract

For the first time, the electrochemical growth of reduced graphene oxide/cuprous oxide (Cu2O) (ERGO/Cu2O) nanostructures on indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode is induced by a new approach based on simultaneous coreduction of copper ions and graphene oxide (GO) from an aqueous suspension without using any binders, surfactant, and reducing reagents. Characterization of ERGO/Cu2O nanocomposite films is carried out using X‐ray diffraction (XRD), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy‐dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. The p‐type semiconductor of Cu2O‐decorated ERGO nanosheets is used as a photocatalyst for efficient solar hydrogen production under visible‐light irradiation. The ERGO/Cu2O nanocomposite electrode exhibits a good photocatalytic activity toward photovoltaic applications in terms of high current density (4.3 mA cm−2), which is ≈40 and 800 times higher than those of the Cu2O‐ and ERGO‐modified ITO electrodes, respectively. The resulting ERGO/Cu2O nanocomposite photoelectrode exhibits good photovoltaic properties and can be used for applications in solar energy conversion.