Light-Driven Enhancement of Oxygen Evolution for Clean Energy Conversion: Co 3 O 4 -TiO 2 /CNTs P-N Heterojunction Catalysts Enabling Efficient Carrier Separation and Reduced Overpotential

Weicheng Zhang, Taotao Zeng, Yi Yu, Yuling Liu, Hao He (), Ping Li () and Zeyan Zhou ()
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Weicheng Zhang: College of Material Science and Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410114, China
Taotao Zeng: College of Material Science and Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410114, China
Yi Yu: College of Material Science and Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410114, China
Yuling Liu: College of Material Science and Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410114, China
Hao He: College of Material Science and Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410114, China
Ping Li: College of Science, Xinjiang Institute of Technology, Aksu 843100, China
Zeyan Zhou: College of Materials Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 15, 1-13

Abstract: In the renewable energy conversion system, water electrolysis technology is widely regarded as the core means to achieve clean hydrogen production. However, the anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) has become a key bottleneck limiting the overall water splitting efficiency due to its slow kinetic process and high overpotential. This study proposes a novel Co 3 O 4 -TiO 2 /CNTs p-n heterojunction catalyst, which was synthesized by hydrothermal method and significantly improved OER activity by combining heterojunction interface regulation and light field enhancement mechanism. Under illumination conditions, the catalyst achieved an overpotential of 390 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm −2 , which is superior to the performance of the dark state (410 mV) and single component Co 3 O 4 -TiO 2 catalysts. The material characterization results indicate that the p-n heterojunction structure effectively promotes the separation and migration of photogenerated carriers and enhances the visible light absorption capability. This work expands the design ideas of energy catalytic materials by constructing a collaborative electric light dual field regulation system, providing a new strategy for developing efficient and low-energy water splitting electrocatalysts, which is expected to play an important role in the future clean energy production and storage field.

Keywords: Co 3 O 4 /TiO 2; photoaugmentation; OER; p-n heterojunction (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: 2025
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