title: Synergistic Effect of a Molecular Cocatalyst and a Heterojunction in a 1 D Semiconductor Photocatalyst for Robust and Highly Efficient Solar Hydrogen Production.
abstract: Photocatalytic production of hydrogen by water splitting is a promising pathway for the conversion of solar energy into chemical energy. However, the photocatalytic conversion efficiency is often limited by the sluggish transfer of the photogenerated charge carriers, charge recombination, and subsequent slow catalytic reactions. Herein, we report a highly active noble-metal-free photocatalytic system for hydrogen production in water. The system contains a water-soluble nickel complex as a molecular cocatalyst and zinc sulfide on 1D cadmium sulfide as the heterojunction photocatalyst. The complex can efficiently transport photogenerated electrons and holes over a heterojunction photocatalyst to hamper charge recombination, leading to highly improved catalytic efficiency and durability of a heterojunction photocatalyst- molecular cocatalyst system. The results show that under optimal conditions, the average apparent quantum yield was approximately 58.3 % after 7 h of irradiation with monochromatic 420 nm light. In contrast, the value is only 16.8 % if the molecular cocatalyst is absent. Such a remarkable performance in a molecular cocatalyst-based photocatalytic system without any noble metal loading has, to the best of our knowledge, not been reported to date.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, iChEM (Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials), University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, 230026, Hefei, Anhui Province, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Daochuan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, iChEM (Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials), University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, 230026, Hefei, Anhui Province, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Rana Muhammad
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Irfan
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, iChEM (Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials), University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, 230026, Hefei, Anhui Province, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Zijun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, iChEM (Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials), University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, 230026, Hefei, Anhui Province, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Dapeng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, iChEM (Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials), University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, 230026, Hefei, Anhui Province, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Pingwu
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2715-0979
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Du
mesh_terms: D019187:Cadmium Compounds; D002384:Catalysis; D004735:Energy Transfer; D006859:Hydrogen / Q000737:chemistry*; D008027:Light; D009532:Nickel / Q000737:chemistry; D055668:Photochemical Processes; D012666:Semiconductors; D012993:Solar Energy; D013440:Sulfides; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry; D017967:Zinc Compounds
chemical_list: D019187:Cadmium Compounds; D013440:Sulfides; D017967:Zinc Compounds; C034939:cadmium sulfide; D014867:Water; D009532:Nickel; D006859:Hydrogen; C031238:zinc sulfide
keywords: electron transfer; heterojunction; hydrogen production; molecular cocatalyst; photocatalysis