Agaricus bisporus extract as an excellent biotemplate agent for the synthesis of nano-plate Dy2Ti2O7/g-C3N4 and its application in electrochemical hydrogen storage

Abstract

The widespread use of hydrogen as an automotive fuel has encouraged us to design nano-plate Dy2Ti2O7/g-C3N4 (DTO/CN) composites through the green pechini sol-gel procedure using Agaricus bisporus extract as electrode material for electrochemical hydrogen storage applications. Agaricus bisporus extract, due to its active ingredients, acts as an excellent biotemplate agent for the nucleation process and prevents the agglomeration of particles by controlling their shape and size. Composition analysis of prepared nanostructures was confirmed using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX). Also, the porosity and morphology of the DTO samples were investigated by electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and BET analysis. Discharge efficiencies of various DTO nanostructures with dissimilar chemical compositions and sizes were investigated by a chronopotentiometry system. The synthesized pristine Dy2Ti2O7 nanoplates and Dy2Ti2O7/g-C3N4 nanocomposites are promising candidates for electrode materials of energy storage with the efficiency of 790 and 900 mAhg− 1 after 15 cycles. The synergetic effects of Dy2Ti2O7 and graphite carbon nitride have increased the hydrogen storage capacity of Dy2Ti2O7/g-C3N4 nanocomposites.