Improving Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production with Sol–Gel Prepared NiTiO₃/TiO₂ Composite

Alberto Bacilio Quispe Cohaila (), Elisban Juani Sacari Sacari (), Wilson Orlando Lanchipa Ramos, Hugo Benito Canahua Loza, Rocío María Tamayo Calderón, Jesús Plácido Medina Salas, Francisco Gamarra Gómez, Ramalinga Viswanathan Mangalaraja and Saravanan Rajendran
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Alberto Bacilio Quispe Cohaila: Laboratorio de Generación y Almacenamiento de Hidrogeno, Facultad de Ingeniería, Escuela Profesional de Metalurgia y Materiales, Universidad Nacional Jorge Basadre Grohmann, Av. Miraflores s/n, Tacna 23003, Peru
Elisban Juani Sacari Sacari: Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería, Av. Túpac Amaru 210, Lima 15333, Peru
Wilson Orlando Lanchipa Ramos: Grupo de Investigación GIMAECC, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional Jorge Basadre Grohmann, Ciudad Universitaria, Av. Miraflores s/n, Tacna 23003, Peru
Hugo Benito Canahua Loza: Laboratorio de Generación y Almacenamiento de Hidrogeno, Facultad de Ingeniería, Escuela Profesional de Metalurgia y Materiales, Universidad Nacional Jorge Basadre Grohmann, Av. Miraflores s/n, Tacna 23003, Peru
Rocío María Tamayo Calderón: Centro de Microscopia Electrónica, Facultad de Ingeniería de Procesos, Universidad Nacional de San Agustín, Arequipa 04001, Peru
Jesús Plácido Medina Salas: Grupo de Investigación GIMAECC, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional Jorge Basadre Grohmann, Ciudad Universitaria, Av. Miraflores s/n, Tacna 23003, Peru
Francisco Gamarra Gómez: Grupo de Investigación GIMAECC, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional Jorge Basadre Grohmann, Ciudad Universitaria, Av. Miraflores s/n, Tacna 23003, Peru
Ramalinga Viswanathan Mangalaraja: Faculty of Engineering and Sciences, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Diagonal las Torres 2640, Peñalolén, Santiago 7941169, Chile
Saravanan Rajendran: Instituto de Alta Investigación, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica 1000000, Chile

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 23, 1-17

Abstract: This study presents a comprehensive investigation into the synthesis, characterization, and photocatalytic performance of NiTiO 3 /TiO 2 nanocomposites for solar hydrogen production. Through a carefully optimized sol–gel method, we synthesized a heterojunction photocatalyst comprising 99.2% NiTiO 3 and 0.8% anatase TiO 2 . Extensive characterization using XRD, Raman spectroscopy, FTIR, UV–visible spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, and TEM revealed the formation of an intimate heterojunction between rhombohedral NiTiO 3 and anatase TiO 2 . The nanocomposite demonstrated remarkable improvements in optical and electronic properties, including enhanced UV–visible light absorption and an 85% reduction in charge carrier recombination compared to pristine NiTiO 3 . Crystallite size analysis showed a reduction from 53.46 nm to 46.35 nm upon TiO 2 incorporation, leading to increased surface area and active sites. High-resolution TEM confirmed the formation of well-defined interfaces between NiTiO 3 and TiO 2 , with lattice fringes of 0.349 nm and 0.249 nm corresponding to their respective crystallographic planes. Under UV irradiation, the NiTiO 3 /TiO 2 nanocomposite exhibited superior photocatalytic performance, achieving a hydrogen evolution rate of 9.74 μmol min−1, representing a 17.1% improvement over pristine NiTiO 3 . This enhancement is attributed to the synergistic effects of improved light absorption, reduced charge recombination, and efficient charge separation at the heterojunction interface. Our findings demonstrate the potential of NiTiO 3 /TiO 2 nanocomposites as efficient photocatalysts for solar hydrogen production and contribute to the development of advanced materials for renewable energy applications.

Keywords: NiTiO 3; TiO 2; sol–gel; nano-composite; photocatalytic hydrogen production (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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