EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF ELECTRODEPOSITION PARAMETERS OF COPPER-BASED PHOTOCATALYSTS FOR PHOTO-ELECTRODIALYSIS CELL

Abstract

Due to the industrial revolution and population growth, energy demand has increased tragically in alignment with water scarcity. Treating wastewater is a promising way to recycle water, producing fresh water and recycling valuable elements and products. However, it is limited by finding a treatment process that can remove elements, organics, and bacteria at the same time with minimal cost, by-product formation, and environmental broadening. Photo-electrodialysis is considered a promising technology that utilizes solar energy to execute a chemical reaction by the photocatalyst while efficiently removing valuable ions through their migration in the semi-permeable membrane. However, finding a suitable photocatalyst that harvests solar energy under visible light illumination with high stability and inexpensive is challenging. In this study, Cu-based materials were coated using electrodeposition on various substrates to be utilized in photo-electrodialysis cell. Eight experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of main electrodeposition parameters, including deposition time, annealing time, complexing agent, coating orientation, and substrate material, on the photocatalytic activity in the photo-electrodialysis cell. The main findings indicated that the lower the deposition time, the better, with the highest photocurrent density reaching 0.071 mA/cm2 for 20 min. While annealing for 1 h enhanced photoactivity compared to the 2 h annealing at 400 °C. The complexing agent highly influenced the produced material. Using citric acid produced CuO coating on stainless steel. While using lactic acid, Cu2O was produced. This highly affected the photoactivity. Coating with vertical orientation showed higher photoactivity and stability. Coating lactic acid on stainless steel resulted in CuO/Cu2O composite, while applying the same procedure on FTO resulted in CuO/Cu2O composite but with different morphology. Overall, the developed electrodes were tested in a photo-electrodialysis (PED) setup, demonstrating promising performance in improving charge separation and promoting ion transport. These findings underscore the potential of optimizing Cu-based electrodes for integrated wastewater treatment and energy recovery applications.

Date of Award	2025
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	HBKU College of Science and Engineering