One-Step Electrochemical Fabrication of Reduced Graphene Oxide/Cuprous Oxide Nanocomposite Thin Films for Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Properties

For the first time, the electrochemical growth of reduced graphene oxide/cuprous oxide (Cu2O) (ERGO/Cu2O) nanostructures on indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode is induced by a new approach based on simultaneous coreduction of copper ions and graphene oxide (GO) from an aqueous suspension without using any binders, surfactant, and reducing reagents. Characterization of ERGO/Cu2O nanocomposite films is carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. The p-type semiconductor of Cu2O-decorated ERGO nanosheets is used as a photocatalyst for efficient solar hydrogen production under visible-light irradiation. The ERGO/Cu2O nanocomposite electrode exhibits a good photocatalytic activity toward photovoltaic applications in terms of high current density (4.3 mA cm(-2)), which is approximate to 40 and 800 times higher than those of the Cu2O- and ERGO-modified ITO electrodes, respectively. The resulting ERGO/Cu2O nanocomposite photoelectrode exhibits good photovoltaic properties and can be used for applications in solar energy conversion.