Here in, we are scaffolding borophene quantum dots (BPQDs) on photoactive semiconductor nanomaterial such as TiO2 nanoparticle which shows enhanced photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting activity. The BPQDs are synthesized by sonochemical method and then scaffolded onto TiO2 nanoparticles by hydrothermal method. Further, the concentration of BPQDs on TiO2 nanoparticles is optimized for better photoelectrochemical water splitting application. The effective absorption edge is found to be less (2.51 eV) for 2.5 wt% BPQDs scaffolded TiO2 nanoparticles as studied by UV–Visible spectroscopic analysis. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) images reveal the scaffolding of BPQDs of size (2–9) nm with TiO2 nanoparticles of having the size ∼25 nm. XRD results confirmed the anatase phase of TiO2 nanoparticles and b-rhombohedral boron structure for BPQDs. The FTIR and XPS results confirms the presence of boron functionalized groups in the nanocomposites. The photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopic results revealed the decrease in PL emission intensity for BPQDs/TiO2 nanocomposite indicating the decreased photogenerated charge carriers recombination time. The work function (ϕ) is found to be less for BPQDs/TiO2 nanocomposite signifying the easy release of electrons under the presence of visible light illumination. Further, BPQDs/TiO2 nanocomposite shows the improvement in photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting due to the synergistic effects of individual components.
The research presented in the abstract is about improving the process of photoelectrochemical(PEC) water splitting, which is a way to generate clean energy by using light to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The focus is on a new material made by combining borophene quantum dots (BPQDs) with titaniumdioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles. Here’s what they did:
They made BPQDs using a sonochemical method, which involves using sound waves to cause chemical reactions; then, they attached these BPQDs to TiO2 nanoparticles using a hydrothermal method, which involves reacting substances in water at high temperatures and pressures; then they optimized the amount of BPQDs on the TiO2 to get the best results for water splitting.
Their findings include:
Overall, the BPQDs/TiO2 composite improves PEC water splitting performance, thanks to the combined properties of the borophene and TiO2, making it a promising material for clean energy applications.
