Cr2S3-Cr2O3/Poly-2-aminobenzene-1-thiol as a Highly Photocatalytic Material for Green Hydrogen Generation from Sewage Water

Mohamed Rabia; Asmaa M Elsayed; Maha Abdallah Alnuwaiser

doi:10.3390/mi14081567

Cr₂S₃-Cr₂O₃/Poly-2-aminobenzene-1-thiol as a Highly Photocatalytic Material for Green Hydrogen Generation from Sewage Water

Micromachines (Basel). 2023 Aug 7;14(8):1567. doi: 10.3390/mi14081567.

Authors

Mohamed Rabia¹, Asmaa M Elsayed², Maha Abdallah Alnuwaiser³

Affiliations

¹ Nanomaterials Science Research Laboratory, Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef 62514, Egypt.
² TH-PPM Group, Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef 62514, Egypt.
³ Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

This study highlights the utilization of the Cr₂S₃-Cr₂O₃/P2ABT nanocomposite photoelectrode for efficient and highly sensitive photon absorption, enabling the generation of green hydrogen through the production of hot electrons upon illumination. The nanocomposite is synthesized via a one-pot reaction using K₂Cr₂O₇ and 2-aminobenzene-1-thiol monomer, and the presence of Cr₂S₃-Cr₂O₃ is confirmed by XRD and XPS analysis within the composite. The optical properties of the Cr₂S₃-Cr₂O₃/poly-2-aminobenzene-1-thiol composite exhibit wide spectral coverage from UV to IR, with a bandgap of 1.6 eV. The diverse morphological behavior observed in the composite correlates with its optical properties, with the cleft spherical particles of the pure polymer transforming into rod-like structures embedded within the polymer matrix. The generated hydrogen gas demonstrates an impressive efficiency of 40.5 mole/10.cm².h through electrochemical testing. The current density (J_ph) values are evaluated under different light frequencies using optical filters ranging from 730 to 340 nm, resulting in Jph values of 0.012 and 0.014 mA.cm^-2, respectively. These findings present a promising avenue as green hydrogen for industrial applications, leveraging the potential of the Cr₂S₃-Cr₂O₃/P2ABT nanocomposite photoelectrode.

Keywords: Cr2O3; Cr2S3; green hydrogen; poly-2-aminobenzene-1-thiol; renewable energy; sewage water.

Grants and funding

PNURSP2023R186/Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University Researchers Supporting Project number (PNURSP2023R186), Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.