Rational development of semiconductor-based electrocatalyst and its electrochemical activity for ethanol oxidation as an assisted reaction for water splitting

Implementation of semiconductor-based nanocomposites for emerging technologies has been gaining exponential interest due to their unique physical, chemical, and electrochemical properties. Nonetheless, challenges still exist in developing active and stable materials to produce high-value-added electrocatalytic platforms for energy conversion applications. This work proposes the synthesis of a composite material comprising ZnO and Cu2O modified with SrSO4 by using the fast and versatile microwave heating process as feasible electrocatalysts for ethanol-assisted water electrolysis. The obtained composite was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (FESEM-EDS), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopies. Electrochemical features were assessed by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The XRD results clearly show that composite material has reflections corresponding to the ZnO, Cu2O, and SrSO4, while the FESEM-EDS analysis reveals the presence of the desired chemical elements. The fabricated ZnO-SrSO4-Cu2O composite was electrochemically characterized to determine its potential as a catalyst for the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). The results unveil that the electroactivity of the composite is mainly attributed to the presence of Cu species and the synergistic effect of ZnO and SrSO4 compounds. In this way, this work proposes a novel via of fabricating active semiconductive electrocatalysts for the hybrid water electrolysis in the presence of the EOR. However, we believe this kind of material can be adopted in other applications such as sensors and energy storage devices.