Publication

Abstract : The work involved tuning of CeO2 with Fe2O3 inorder to enhance its solar light absorption to carry out water splitting reaction. CeO2-Fe2O3 nanocomposites were successfully synthesized in different proportions by thermal decomposition method. The crystallite phases of the composite were confirmed from X-ray diffraction peaks. The light absorption characteristics of the composites were carried out by DRS and PL studies. The performance of CeO2-Fe2O3 composite as a photocatalyst for water splitting reaction was evaluated and CeO2 –Fe2O3 mixed oxide in 1:1 proportion was identified as the optimum composition for the photo reaction. 1 g/L composition yields 359.2 μ mol h-1 hydrogen. Yield of hydrogen production was increased to 583.7 μ mol h-1, when the reaction was carried out in presence of t-butanol. It worked as an efficient hole scavenger and reduced the electron-hole pair recombination rate. The efficiency of action of applied sensitizers in the rate of hydrogen production was t-butanol ˃ iso-propanol ˃ methanol.