Multilayered WO3/GQDs/MXene Thin-Film Photoanode for Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting for Sustainable Hydrogen Production

Overview

Hydrogen, the first element in the periodic table, is now becoming the first choice for clean and efficient energy production, serving as a promising energy carrier. However, 95% of hydrogen is still produced using fossil-based methods that generate high carbon emissions. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting using WO3-based photoanode offers a sustainable alternative; however, it suffers from limited light absorption, rapid electron-hole recombination, and poor stability, reducing hydrogen generation efficiency. In this study, WO3 thin film was deposited on FTO substrate using a low-cost, custom-built aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition (AACVD) to obtain a uniform, crystalline film, followed by drop-casting of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) and MXene (Ti3C2T?) to form a heterostructured photoanode. Four samples of pure WO3, WO3/GQDs, WO3/MXene, and WO3/GQDs/MXene were fabricated and systematically compared. SEM and EDX confirmed uniform coverage and successful incorporation of GQDs and MXene. UV-Vis showed enhanced visible-light absorption for WO3/GQDs/MXene, while PL indicated suppressed electron-hole recombination. PEC measurements were performed in 1 M KOH under AM 1.5G illumination. LSV revealed that WO3/GQDs/MXene exhibited a maximum photocurrent density of 1.24 mA cm?² at 1.23 V vs. RHE, an 118% increase over pure WO3, with a 130 mV lower onset potential (0.52 V vs. RHE), indicating reduced energy requirements. EIS showed that WO3/GQDs/MXene had the lowest charge-transfer resistance (780 O), a 56.6% reduction compared to pure WO3, indicating improved charge transport. These results demonstrate enhanced photoelectrochemical efficiency, highlighting WO3/GQDs/MXene thin film as a promising photoanode for efficient photo-assisted hydrogen generation.

Awards (1)

• Aramco: Second Place Prize Energy: Sustainable Materials & Design (EGSD)

Competition history

• ISEF 2026 Energy: Sustainable Materials and Design · Entry EGSD037

Resources

• ISEF abstract page ↗

Related projects

Closest projects by meaning, across every fair and year in the corpus.