Sains Malaysiana 48(5)(2019): 1129–1135

http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2019-4805-22

 

Peningkatan Kecekapan Pemisahan Air Menggunakan g-C3N4 yang Disinar Gama

(Improvement of Water Splitting Efficiency using Gamma Irradiated g-C3N4)

 

NURUL AIDA MOHAMED1, JAVAD SAFAEI1, AZNAN FAZLI ISMAIL2,3, MOHAMAD FIRDAUS MOHAMAD NOH1, MOHD FAIRUZ SOH1, MOHD ADIB IBRAHIM1, NORASIKIN AHMAD LUDIN1 & MOHD ASRI MAT TERIDI1*

 

1Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

 

2Nuclear Science Program, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

 

3Center for Frontier Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

 

Received: 3 July 2018/Accepted: 13 March 2019

 

ABSTRAK

Dalam kajian ini, kesan sinar gama ke atas bahan semikonduktor g-C3N4 kGy (0.1 kGy dan 0.5) dibincangkan dan dibandingkan dengan sampel yang tidak disinar untuk melihat perbezaanya. Bahan g-C3N4 disintesis dari urea melalui proses pempolimeran haba pada suhu 520°C. Struktur dan morfologi g-C3N4 dianalisis dengan menggunakan pembelauan Sinar- X (XRD), spektroskopi transformasi Fourier inframerah (FT-IR), mikroskop pengimbas elektron pancaran medan dengan spektroskopi tenaga sinar-X (FESEM-EDX), spektroskopi cahaya nampak - ultraungu (UV-Vis) dan ketumpatan arus (LSV). Sinar gama telah mengubah struktur ikatan g-C3N4 dan mengurangkan sela jalur iaitu daripada 2.80 eV kepada 2.72 eV. Di samping itu, sampel g-C3N4 yang disinar pada 0.1 kGy menghasilkan prestasi lima kali ganda lebih tinggi iaitu daripada 3.59 μAcm-2 kepada 14.2 μAcm-2 pada 1.23 V lawan Ag/AgCl dalam larutan elektrolit 0.5 M Na2SO4 (pH7). Kesimpulannya, keputusan kajian menunjukkan bahan semikonduktor yang dirawat dengan sinar gama berpotensi untuk meningkatkan fotoelektrokimia (PEC) pemisahan air.

 

Kata kunci: g-C3N4, pemisahan air; sela jalur tenaga; sinar gama

 

ABSTRACT

In this study, the effect of gamma radiation on g-C3N4 semiconductor material (0.1 and 0.5 kGy) was discussed and compared to the non-irradiated sample in order to investigate the difference. The g-C3N4 material was synthesised from urea by thermal polymerization at the temperature of 520°C. The structure and morphology of the g-C3N4 were analysed by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (FESEM-EDX), ultraviolet- visible (UV-Vis), profilometer and photocurrent density (LSV). The finding indicates that gamma radiation has changed the bonding structure of the g-C3N4 and reduces the optical band gap energy from 2.80 to 2.72 eV. In addition, the irradiated g-C3N4 sample at 0.1 kGy has five times better performance which increases from 3.59 μAcm-2 to 14.2 μAcm-2 at 1.23 V versus Ag/AgCl in 0.5 M Na2SO4 electrolyte solution (pH7). As a conclusion, this study shows that the treated semiconductor material with gamma-ray potentially to increase the photoelectrochemical efficiency.

 

Keywords: g-C3N4; energy band gap; gamma radiation; water splitting

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*Corresponding author; email: asri@ukm.edu.my

 

 

 

 

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