In situ transformation of CuBi₂O₄ to heterogeneous Bi₂O₃/Cu₂O mixed phase using thermal method for exceptional H₂ production.
- 1Department of Physics, Central University of Rajasthan Ajmer India [email protected].
- 2Department of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University ERICA Campus Ansan South Korea [email protected].
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.
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BibTeX
@article{kumari2026situ,
title = {{In situ transformation of CuBi₂O₄ to heterogeneous Bi₂O₃/Cu₂O mixed phase using thermal method for exceptional H₂ production.}},
author = {Indu Kumari and Hazina Charles and Plassidius J Chengula and Vijay Kumar and Siddhant N Deshpande and Caroline S Lee and Rajendra C Pawar},
journal = {RSC advances},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1039/d6ra07504e},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42921205},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - In situ transformation of CuBi₂O₄ to heterogeneous Bi₂O₃/Cu₂O mixed phase using thermal method for exceptional H₂ production.
AU - Indu Kumari
AU - Hazina Charles
AU - Plassidius J Chengula
AU - Vijay Kumar
AU - Siddhant N Deshpande
AU - Caroline S Lee
AU - Rajendra C Pawar
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - RSC advances
DO - 10.1039/d6ra07504e
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42921205
AB - 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.
SN - 2046-2069
ER -