Green synthesis of rGO-WO3 composite and its efficient photoelectrochemical water splitting

The WO3 and rGO-WO3 composites were successfully synthesized by the simple, scalable and green approach. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis-DRS), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). The optical and electrical properties of the catalysts were improved by incorporating rGO in WO3. The prepared rGO-WO3 composites showed enhanced photoelectrochemical (PEC) hydrogen conversion efficiency and increased photocurrent generation under solar light irradiation. (C) 2017 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.