{
  "abstract": "Photoelectrochemical water splitting using semiconductor materials is a viable approach to produce green hydrogen (H₂). CuBi₂O₄ is a promising option because of its high redox potential and advantageous band gap; however, its use is hindered by significant charge carrier recombination and inadequate interfacial contact. We synthesized CuBi₂O₄ using a simple thermal method and examined the impact of polyvinyl alcohol on its structural and morphological characteristics. We observed a phase transformation from a mixed-phase CuBi₂O₄ to a highly efficient α-Bi₂O₃/β-Bi₂O₃/Cu₂O heterostructure. The optimized heterostructure (α-Bi₂O₃/β-Bi₂O₃/Cu₂O) showed a remarkable photocatalytic H₂ evolution rate of 776 µmol g⁻¹ compared with the pristine (CuBi₂O₄) structure, which achieved a rate of 166 µmol g⁻¹. The exceptional photocatalytic H₂ production of the heterogeneous sample arises from the efficient charge transfer mechanism and separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs facilitated by the interfaces produced between the distinct phases. The enhanced transient photoresponse of α-Bi₂O₃/β-Bi₂O₃/Cu₂O (9.76 µA) compared with that of the pure sample (5.13 µA) validates the effective generation and separation of photogenerated charge carriers resulting from the appropriate band alignment and in situ p-n junctions formed during the synthesis process. Furthermore, the electrochemical impedance spectra showed a reduced charge transfer resistance for the optimized heterostructure compared with that of the pure structure, thereby validating the superior photocatalytic H₂ evolution of the heterostructure. Consequently, using the thermal approach establishes a simple synthesis route for heterogeneous catalysts with exceptional H₂ evolution performance. Moreover, this study advances the development of H₂ technology by providing a cost-effective strategy for designing efficient catalysts.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Physics, Central University of Rajasthan Ajmer India rajendra.pawar@curaj.ac.in.",
    "Department of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University ERICA Campus Ansan South Korea sunyonglee@hanyang.ac.kr."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Indu Kumari",
      "orcid": "0009-0006-1179-1559"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Hazina Charles"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Plassidius J Chengula"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Vijay Kumar"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Siddhant N Deshpande"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Caroline S Lee",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5794-190X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Rajendra C Pawar",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6614-036X"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2c2penhzndpx6.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1039/d6ra07504e",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13692006",
  "id": "2c2penhzndpx6",
  "issns": [
    "2046-2069"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42921205",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Chemistry"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2105|Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223402358",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13692006?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13692006",
  "pmid": "42921205",
  "published": "2026-10-23",
  "publisher": "Royal Society of Chemistry",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2c2penhzndpx6.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:33Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42921205",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42921205"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-07T12:23:38Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13692006",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1039/d6ra07504e"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "heading:Chemistry",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "In situ transformation of CuBi₂O₄ to heterogeneous Bi₂O₃/Cu₂O mixed phase using thermal method for exceptional H₂ production.",
  "title_text": "In situ transformation of CuBi₂O₄ to heterogeneous Bi₂O₃/Cu₂O mixed phase using thermal method for exceptional H₂ production.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-07T12:23:38Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2c2penhzndpx6",
  "venue": "RSC advances",
  "versions": []
}