Polyvinyl Alcohol/Chitosan‐Doped Silver Ion Nanocomposites for Stable and Long Term Hydrogen Generation

ABSTRACT In this study, nanocomposite films of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and chitosan (CS) containing varying amounts of silver ions (Ag) as a conductive filler were prepared by casting. The chemical, crystal, morphological, thermal, optical, and electrical properties were studied using numerous methods. On the other hand, the electrochemical properties of these nanocomposite films for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) were also investigated. A notable enhancement in the amorphous phase, thermal stability, refractive index, absorption, and electrical conductivity was observed by increasing the Ag filler in the PVA/CS nanocomposite films. For instance, the electrical conductivity increases from 2.5 × 10 −5 S/cm to 1.15 × 10 −4 S/cm by adding 10 wt% of Ag into the PVA/CS matrix. Furthermore, it was found that HER performance was substantially improved for all PVA/CS with Ag compared to pure PVA/CS. The PVA/CS with 2.5 wt% Ag film demonstrated the lowest Tafel slope, alongside high turnover frequency and mass activity, thereby confirming stable long‐term H 2 production capabilities.