TiO2-rGO-Cu complex: A photocatalyst possessing an interfacial electron transport mechanism to enhance hydrogen production from seawater

[Display omitted] •The design and assessment of the TiO2-rGO-Cu ternary photocatalyst.•A highly efficient directional interfacial electron transport.•Photocatalytic H2 production from seawater splitting of TiO2-rGO-Cu is 25 times higher than that of TiO2. Photocatalytic hydrogen production from seawater has great prospects for generating clean energy from renewable resources. We designed a TiO2-rGO-Cu photocatalyst that possesses a pathway for directed electron transfer from nitrogen-doped TiO2 to rGO and then to Cu nanoparticles, which leads to efficient electron-hole pairs separation. Results show that TiO2-rGO-Cu has a hydrogen production rate of 16.08 mmol h−1g−1 in simulated seawater, which is as much as 25 times higher than that of TiO2. The mechanism for a highly efficient directional interfacial electron transport is proposed. The strategy could be effective for designing new photocatalysts for hydrogen production from seawater.