Morphological effect of 1D/1D In₂O₃/TiO₂ NRs/NWs heterojunction photo-embedded with Cu-NPs for enhanced photocatalytic H₂ evolution under visible light

Well-designed Cu-loaded 1D/1D In₂O₃ NRs/TiO₂ NWs heterojunction for photocatalytic H₂ production under visible light has been investigated. In-situ synthesis of In₂O₃ NRs anchored over TiO₂ NWs were obtained through hydrothermal approach, while Cu-NPs were loaded using photo-deposition method. Maximum H₂ evolution of 4390 ppm g-cat⁻¹ h⁻¹ was achieved over Cu-In₂O₃ NRs/TiO₂ NWs heterojunction which is 4.2 and 7.8 folds higher than using In₂O₃ NRs/TiO₂ NWs and TiO₂ NWs, respectively. Morphological effects revealed 3.92 folds higher H₂ production over Cu-In₂O₃ NRs/TiO₂ NWs compared to nanoparticles. The significantly enhanced H₂ evolution was because of 1D/1D heterojunction with a good interaction between composite materials for faster charge separation. Among all the sacrificial reagents, glycerol found more proficient for H₂ production due to the presence of more α-H atoms attached to carbon atoms. Quantum yield (QY) of 0.675% was obtained over Cu-In₂O₃ NRs/TiO₂ NWs composite, which is ∼4 folds higher than using the same composite with nanoparticles. This reveals structure of materials greatly contributed for utilizing photon flux for the production of charge carriers with their faster separation. Thus, a good metal-support interaction could provide an efficient pathway for solar energy assisted hydrogen production and can be used for other solar fuel applications.