Silver‐Modified TiO ₂ /NiAl Layered Double Hydroxide Photocatalyst for Enhanced Photocatalytic Water Splitting

ABSTRACT Layered double hydroxide (LDH) materials are appropriate catalysts for solar‐driven processes due to their two‐dimensionality and compositional tunability. In the present study, silver‐modified TiO 2 was synthesized and subsequently integrated with NiAl LDH. Incorporation of LDH markedly increased hydrogen generation by promoting interfacial charge transfer, suppressing recombination, and facilitating nanoparticle dispersion. The physiochemical properties and microscopic structure of the synthesized catalysts were inspected using a variety of traditional analytical techniques. The specific surface area and average pore diameter of the photocatalyst with 8% NiAl LDH composition (8TA/LDH) were recorded as 21.69 m 2 g −1 and 5.97 nm, respectively. The highest hydrogen generation rate of 289.46 µmol −1 h −1 g −1 was achieved for 8TA/LDH by using ethylene glycol (EG) (10% v/v) as a sacrificial reagent in 5 h of the photocatalysis process. Furthermore, the photocatalyst 8TA/LDH shows enough hydrogen generation even after four cycles, confirming its durability. The enhanced photocatalytic activity is ultimately due to the heterostructure's offering of more reactive active sites and the establishment of a type‐II heterojunction, which facilitates the movement of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. This study demonstrates that 8TA/LDH is an effective photocatalyst for solar‐driven hydrogen generation, offering a promising pathway for renewable energy applications.