This report addresses the synthesis, characterisation, and photoelectrochemical performances of α-Fe2O3 nanorods decorated with g-C3N4. The photoanode composites were fabricated in a two-step procedure in which fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass was coated by α-Fe2O3 nanorods via a hydrothermal method, followed by incorporation of g-C3N4 via a wet-impregnation method. In particular, the study investigates the effects of precursors of g-C3N4 (urea, dicyandiamide, melamine) on the photoelectrochemical properties of the α-Fe2O3/g-C3N4 films. The films were thoroughly analysed by means of X-ray diffractometer (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and UV-vis spectrometry. The highest photoelectrochemical output of the nanorod composite films was achieved in the use of g-C3N4 synthesized from urea, generating 15.3 μA cm-2 of photocurrent density as a result of better charge transfer driven by the formation of semiconductor heterojunction. This is a staggering 12-fold improvement as compared to the unmodified hematite nanorods which managed to only produce 1.2 μA cm-2 of photocurrent density. The merits of g-C3N4 prepared from urea as the best semiconductor couple for α-Fe2O3 are driven by its unique crystallinity and morphology with significantly larger surface area than g-C3N4 prepared from other precursors. The addition of glycerol as a sacrificial agent further improves the photocurrent to nearly 24 μA cm-2. The findings in this study show the potential of α-Fe2O3/g-C3N4 composites towards sustainable photoelectrochemical hydrogen production.

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