Green hydrogen production by an improved photoelectrochemical process with Ga-doped ZnO photoanodes on stainless steel substrates

This study analyzes hydrogen production using photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting methods for Ga-doped ZnO electrodes coated on stainless steel. Physical electrochemistry, electrochemical impedance, hydrogen production, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy analyses are performed on uncoated, undoped ZnO-coated, and Ga-doped ZnO-coated electrodes. The parameters of the best-coated electrode obtained by chronoamperometry (CA) analysis are as follows: the electrode is immersed in a dip-coating bath for 4 s, is coated five times, and has a doping ratio of 1%. The Tafel slope obtained from the Tafel graph of the 1% Ga-doped ZnO electrode is 0.15 V/dec, and the change in current density is 1.05 × 10 −7 A/cm 2 . According to EIS data, the solution resistance (Rs), polarization resistance (Rp), and constant phase element (CPE) of the 1% Ga-doped ZnO electrode are 0.4862 Ω·cm 2 , 0.0785 Ω·cm 2 , and 2.031 × 10 −3 Ω −1 ·s·cm −2 , respectively. The slope value obtained from the Mott–Schottky graph is also 3.45 × 10 −4 . The hydrogen production rate obtained from CA analysis over a half-hour period is 6 mL/cm 2 . The energy efficiency is 2.3%, the exergy efficiency is 2.36%, and the ABPE efficiency is 0.75%. This study demonstrates higher hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity and overall efficiency than comparable studies in the literature. This study is the first in the literature to illustrate the dip-coating of Ga-doped ZnO electrodes onto stainless steel, the optimization of coating number and duration parameters, and the reporting of direct hydrogen production quantities. Thus, the study fills a gap in the literature in terms of both methodological innovation and performance, offering an applicable and scalable approach for sustainable hydrogen production. • The photoanodes are designed with Ga–ZnO (1% Ga, 4 s, 5 layers) as deposited on stainless steel. • The 1% Ga–ZnO electrode shows the highest PEC performance. • The system produces 6.0 mL cm −2 H₂ in 30 min with 2.30% energy and 2.36% exergy efficiency. • The EIS and Tafel tests confirm faster HER kinetics. • The ABPE of 0.75% demonstrates potential scalability for H₂ production.