Fabrication of Ag(l) MOF nanoparticles and ultrathin g-C₃N₄ nanosheets Co-decorated with Ag₃VO₄: A versatile bifunctional catalyst for efficient green hydrogen production

This study utilizes a quick sonochemical process alongside the sol–gel method to develop a ternary bifunctional nanocomposite material, hybrid Ag-BTC/Ag₃VO₄@g-C₃N₄ (A₂CN). This material showed strong photo and electrocatalytic abilities for hydrogen (H₂) production, demonstrating high activity, durability, and adaptability. The combination of Ag-BTC MOF (AB) with Ag₃VO₄ (AV) and g-C₃N₄ (CN) leads to diverse catalytic behaviors in a hierarchical structure, marked by strongly coupled band structures. Ternary nanocomposite (A₂CN) showed superior activity under photocatalytic and electrocatalytic conditions compared to binary nanocomposites like Ag₃VO₄/g-C₃N₄ (AVCN) and Ag-BTC/g-C₃N₄ (ABCN). A₂CN ternary nano catalyst shows the highest H₂ production rate of 629.37 μmol g⁻¹h⁻¹ under photocatalytic conditions compared to all other fabricated catalysts. The catalyst shows effective performance in electrocatalysis, with a low overpotential (η) of 0.479 V and a Tafel slope of 109 mV dec⁻¹ at a current density of 10 mA cm⁻². The findings suggest that the Ag-BTC/Ag₃VO₄@g-C₃N₄ (A₂CN) catalyst is a highly adaptable and efficient nano-catalyst for photo- and electrocatalytic H₂ evolution. This study conducts a comprehensive examination of a newly developed, versatile bifunctional catalyst, exploring its potential uses in photo and electrocatalysis.