Volume 49 Number 3

The enhancement of the efficiency of green hydrogen production through a water separation process using Ni-Cu-doped TiO₂ nanoparticles

Noni Novianti^a, Fransischa Ramona^a, Diana Vanda Wellia^b, Mulda Muldarisnur^a,*

 
ABSTRACT:     This study aims to investigate the effect of nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu) doping on the efficiency of hydrogen production through water splitting using pure and doped titanium dioxide (TiO2 ) photocatalysts. The photocatalysts were synthesized using the sol-gel method, with and without a dopant precursor volume of 1?3 ml. The concentrations of Ni and Cu precursors were varied to investigate their effects on photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. The crystal structure, morphology, particle size, functional groups, and optical properties were characterized using X ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopies, Brunauer?Emmett?Teller analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. All samples exhibited a dominant anatase TiO2 phase, with a main diffraction peak at the (101) plane and nanometer-scale crystallite sizes. The SEM and TEM images revealed an almost spherical particle morphology with a uniform dopant distribution. FTIR spectra confirmed successful doping with the appearance of characteristic metal-oxygen vibration bands (Ni-O, Cu-O, and Ti O) and an increase in the intensity of surface-OH groups. UV-Vis analysis revealed that Ni and Cu doping reduced the band gap and improved visible-light absorption. The evaluation of photocatalytic activity revealed a significant increase in hydrogen production following doping. The increased hydrogen generation rate with dopant content indicates improved charge separation and electron transfer efficiency. The optimized Ni-Cu co-doped TiO2 had the highest hydrogen evolution rate compared to pure TiO2 and the single-metal-doped samples. The synergistic roles of Ni as a proton-reduction site and Cu as a charge-separation promoter improved photocatalytic efficiency.

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* Corresponding author, E-mail: muldarisnur@sci.unand.ac.id

Received 14 Jan 2026, Accepted 9 Apr 2026