Symbiotic MoO3-SrTiO3 Heterostructured Nanocatalysts for Sustainable Hydrogen Energy: Combined Experimental and Theoretical Simulations

Highly efficient Z-scheme MoO3-SrTiO3 heterostructured nanocatalytic systems were engineered via a sol-gel chemical route and exploited in green H-2 energy synthesis via overall water splitting. The optical and electronic investigations corroborated the enhancement of the optoelectronic properties of SrTiO3 after the incorporation of MoO3. Emergence of the interfacial charge transfer between SrTiO3 and MoO3 is the driving force, which synergistically triggered the catalytic efficiency of MoO3-SrTiO3 heterostructures. The substitution of Ti4+ by Mo6+ ions led to the suppression of Ti3+ mid-gap states, as the potential involved in the Mo6+/Mo5+ reduction is higher than that in Ti4+/Ti3+. Theoretical studies were employed in order to comprehend the mechanism behind the advancement in the catalytic activity of MoO3-SrTiO3 porous heterostructures, which also possessed a higher surface area. 2% MoO3-SrTiO3 exhibited the optimum catalytic response toward H-2 evolution via photochemical, electrochemical, and photo-electrochemical water splitting. 2% MoO3-SrTiO3 evolved H-2 at the fourfold higher rate than SrTiO3 with phenomenal 16.06% AQY during photochemical water splitting and photo-degraded MB dye at nearly 88% against the 42% degradation in SrTiO3-led photocatalysis. Electrochemical and photo-electrochemical investigations also manifested the superiority of 2% MoO3-SrTiO3 toward HER, as it exhibited accelerated current and photocurrent densities of 25.02 and 27.45 mA/cm(2), respectively, at the 1 V potential. EIS studies demonstrated the improved charge separation efficiency of MoO3-SrTiO3 heterostructures. This work highlights the multi-dimensional approach of obtaining green H2 energy as the sustainable energy source using MoO3@SrTiO3 heterostructures.