Enhanced Electrocatalytic Performance of Novel d-Ti 3 CN@CdSe Nanocomposite for Efficient Water Splitting: Achieving Low Overpotential and High Stability

The escalating global demand for clean and sustainable energy has ignited significant interest in hydrogen production through water splitting. A major challenge in this pursuit is the development of efficient and cost-effective electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Here, we present the synthesis of a novel two-dimensional d-Ti 3 CN @CdSe nanocomposite, designed as a high-performance electrocatalyst for overall water splitting. Synthesized via hydrothermal methods, the nanocomposite was characterized using advanced characterization techniques viz. Raman spectroscopy, XRD, XPS, and SEM/EDS. Electrochemical evaluations demonstrate that the d-Ti 3 CN @CdSe nanocomposite significantly enhances catalytic performance compared to its individual components, achieving a low overpotential of 232 mV for HER at 10 mA cm −2 and reducing the OER overpotential from 498.3 mV for d-Ti 3 CN MXene to 382.2 mV in the nanocomposite at 30 mA cm −2 . Additionally, it exhibits excellent stability, retaining about 75.37% of its current density after 36 h of continuous operation. This remarkable performance is attributed to the synergistic interactions between CdSe nanoparticles and Ti 3 CN MXene layers, which prevent restacking, increase the electrochemically active surface area, and enhance charge transfer efficiency. These features position the d-Ti 3 CN @CdSe nanocomposite as a promising candidate for scalable and sustainable water-splitting applications.