Generation of Hydrogen Gas Using CuCrO-g-CN Nanocomposites under Illumination by Visible Light.

In this research, nanocomposites made of CuCrO-g-CN accommodating distinct contents of CuCrO (1-4 wt %) nanoparticles (NPs) were endorsed for hydrogen gas production after illumination by visible light in the presence of aqueous glycerol solution. The ultrasonication-mixture method was applied to assure the homogeneous distribution of CuCrO NPs over synthesized mesoporous g-CN. Such nanocomposites possess suppressed recombination between the photoinduced charges. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy examinations affirmed the formation of CuCrO-g-CN heterojunctions. The separation between the induced charges and the photocatalytic performance with the CuCrO NP amount were investigated. The CuCrO-g-CN heterojunction of 3 wt % CuCrO content was documented as the optimal heterojunction. Upgraded hydrogen gas generation was attained over the optimal heterojunction with the extent of ten and thirty times as those registered for pure CuCrO and g-CN specimens, respectively, under illumination by visible light. The photocatalytic performance acquired by the diverse synthesized specimens was assessed not only by their effectiveness to absorb light in the visible region but also by their potential to separate the photoinduced charges.