Efficient and sustainable hydrogen evolution reaction: enhanced photoelectrochemical performance of ReO 3 -incorporated Cu 2 Te catalysts

• Published in: Energy advances 2024-05, Vol.3 (5), p.1092-1098
• Main Authors: Vijayan, Aruna, Sandhyarani, N.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2753-1457; 2753-1457
• DOI: 10.1039/D4YA00023D

In the pursuit of clean hydrogen production, the photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) plays a pivotal role. The development of highly efficient, durable catalysts is vital for the industrialization of water-splitting technology. One promising strategy is the fabrication of self-supported catalysts, which are known for their exceptional activity and durability. In this study, we report the synthesis of copper telluride (Cu 2 Te) incorporated with rhenium oxide (ReO 3 ) via a CVD-assisted route. The electrochemical and photoelectrochemical HER performance analyses reveal that the ReO 3 –Cu 2 Te composite exhibits excellent HER performance with a very low overpotential of −0.026 V at −10 mA cm −2 in the presence of light. This exceptional performance positions the ReO 3 –Cu 2 Te composite as a promising candidate to replace the expensive state-of-the-art platinum catalyst.