Transition metal sulfides (TMS) have been widely on focus as bifunctional electrocatalysts due to their unique structural features, well-off active sites, and modifiable electronic and mechanical properties. Also, it has been employed as an alternative material for noble metals for green hydrogen production through electrolysis. Herein, we have synthesized highly efficient ternary copper iron sulfide (CuFeS₂)/rGO composites via a hydrothermal approach for the overall water splitting process. The tetragonal structure of CuFeS₂ microflowers anchored on rGO sheets was identified by using X-Ray analysis with the standard JCPDS #35-752. In Raman spectra, the existence of two bands such as D (defects) and G (graphitic) confirm the presence of rGO composite with CuFeS₂ and the ratio of ID/IG was observed to be 0.79. The morphological analysis of SEM and TEM studies confirms the formation of microflowers with rGO sheets. The elemental composition of CuFeS₂/rGO was analyzed by EDAX analysis, which showed the weight percentage of various compositions of Cu (18.07%), Fe(11.32%), S(13.88%) and C (56.74%) respectively. Moreover, the CuFeS₂/rGO composites exhibited a high surface area, pore volume, and pore diameter of 50.352 m²/g, 0.162 cc/g, and 2.471 nm, respectively. The fabricated electrodes were examined by using electrochemical characterizations. The results clearly showed that the low overpotential and low Tafel slope values in both OER and HER processes. In addition, the fabricated composite exhibited a low voltage for the overall water splitting process with more excellent stability. Therefore, the composite of rGO in ternary metal sulfide plays a vital role to improve the electrocatalytic activity of the material, and CuFeS₂/rGO composite emerges as a promising electrode for the water splitting process.

Keywords: CuFeS₂, carbon composite, bifunctional catalyst.