Study of p-n CaFe2O4/LaAlO3 Heterojunctions for Hydrogen Production by Photocatalytic Water Splitting Process under Visible Light
- DOI
- 10.2991/978-94-6463-797-7_23How to use a DOI?
- Keywords
- Hydrogen production; LaAlO3 perovskite; CaFe2O4 spinel; Heterojunction; Water reduction
- Abstract
The construction of heterojunctions is widely regarded as one of the most effective strategies for suppressing charge recombination, extending the light absorption range of a single photocatalyst, and significantly enhancing hydrogen production through photocatalytic water splitting. Herein, we explore a novel heterojunction system designed to optimize charge separation and improve overall photocatalytic efficiency. The 25%CaFe₂O₄-75%LaAlO₃ heterojunction was synthesized by mechanically mixing CaFe₂O₄ and LaAlO₃, prepared via nitrate and sol-gel methods. Characterization techniques such as TGA-DT, XRD, XPS, UV-Vis spectroscopy, SEM-EDX, and electrochemical tests confirmed the formation of pure phases with crystallite sizes of 31 nm (CaFe₂O₄) and 36 nm (LaAlO₃). XPS analysis identified surface elements including La3⁺, Al3⁺, Fe3⁺, Ca2⁺, and O2⁻, while SEM revealed irregular nanoparticles with moderate porosity. The photocatalyst was tested in water-splitting for hydrogen production under visible light exposure. The heterojunction significantly improved photocatalytic hydrogen production, generating 209.72 µmol H₂ in NaOH (pH ~12) under visible light, 1.62 times more than pure CaFe₂O₄. Adding S₂O₃2⁻ hole scavenger further increased H₂ production to 297.87 µmol over four cycles by reducing electron-hole recombination.
- Copyright
- © 2025 The Author(s)
- Open Access
- Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.
Cite this article
TY - CONF AU - H. Medjadji AU - A. Boulahouache AU - N. Salhi AU - M. Trari PY - 2025 DA - 2025/07/22 TI - Study of p-n CaFe₂O₄/LaAlO₃ Heterojunctions for Hydrogen Production by Photocatalytic Water Splitting Process under Visible Light BT - Proceedings of the 1st International Symposium on African Sustainable Energy Solutions (AfrSusEnS 2024) PB - Atlantis Press SP - 173 EP - 180 SN - 2352-5401 UR - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-797-7_23 DO - 10.2991/978-94-6463-797-7_23 ID - Medjadji2025 ER -