Synthesis, characterization and study of synergistic effect of CuS/CuSe hybrid nanocomposite for electro catalyticapplication

Abstract

Development of rational synthesis methods for the hybrid metal chalcogenides is of great importance nowadays, due to their promising synergistic effect. The hybrid nanocomposites with well-defined nanostructures offers unique properties and fascinating applications. Recently, the metal sulfides and selenides hybrid structures are largely adopted for the photo electrocatalytic applications. Inspired by this, we attempted to develop the simple synthesis route for the preparation of CuS and CuSe hybrid nanocomposite. The material was synthesized by using co-precipitation method. The crystal structure of CuS/CuSe hybrid composite was analyzed by XRD. The size and shape of hybrid composite was recorded by SEM, which was found to be 30-60 nm and hexagonal shape. The EDS data shows the chemical composition of CuS and CuSe nanomaterials. The developed CuSe/CuS hybrid catalyst was used for electrochemical water splitting. The composite was found to exhibit promising HER results. The synthesized nanomaterials can be used for water splitting (HER, OER) as photo-electrocatalytic application.