Hybrid Photoelectrocatalytic TiO 2 -Co 3 O 4 /Co(OH) 2 Materials Prepared from Bio-Based Surfactants for Water Splitting.

The development of new photoanode materials for hydrogen production and water treatment is in full progress. In this context, hybrid TiO 2 -Co 3 O 4 /Co(OH) 2 photoanodes prepared using the sol-gel method using biosurfactants are currently being developed by our group. The combination of TiO 2 with a cobalt-based compound significantly enhances the visible absorption and electrochemical performance of thin films, which is mainly due to an increase in the specific surface area and a decrease in the charge transfer resistance on the surface of the thin films. The formation of these composites allows for a 30-fold increase in the current density when compared to cobalt-free materials, with the best TiO 2 -CoN0.5 sample achieving a current of 1.570 mA.cm -2 and a theoretical H 2 production rate of 0.3 µmol.min -1 .cm -2 under xenon illumination.