Converting solar energy into hydrogen energy: Research on the green hydrogen production mechanism of nanocomposite materials with graphene nanoribbons and ZnO composite materials based on the local electric field effect for transferring electrons

To meet the growing demand for clean and renewable energy alternatives, solar photocatalytic hydrogen production has become an important technology for the production of green hydrogen. However, due to the absorption wavelength limitation of common photocatalysts, it is difficult to achieve efficient and stable photocatalysis under sunlight, thus hindering the effective utilization of this renewable solar energy source. In this paper, the surface synthesis method was used to prepare graphene nanoribbon-ZnO composite photocatalytic materials, which accelerated the directional transfer of photogenerated electrons. The graphene nanoribbon-ZnO composites exhibited a strong local electric field effect, which promoted the directional transfer of electrons. The photogenerated charge carriers rapidly migrated from ZnO to active sites on the surface of graphene nanoribbons, enhancing the kinetics of the photocatalytic H+ reduction reaction. This innovative method improved the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution efficiency under sunlight. When the doping mass concentration of graphene nanoribbons was 30 %, the photocatalytic hydrogen production rate of the composite material reached 1400 μmol h−1 g−1, which was 56 times that of pure ZnO. The graphene nanoribbon-ZnO composite photocatalyst exhibited excellent photostability and recyclability. The experimental results revealed the reaction mechanism of the efficient catalysis of the composite material. This work not only proposes a novel and efficient strategy for conversion of solar energy into hydrogen energy, but also emphasizes a sustainable and green approach to hydrogen production, marking a significant advancement in the field of clean energy solutions.