Efficient Visible-Light Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution over the In₂O₃@Ni₂P Heterojunction of an In-Based Metal–Organic Framework

Abstract

Although the engineering of visible-light-driven photocatalysts with appropriate bandgap structures is beneficial for generating hydrogen (H2), the construction of heterojunctions and energy band matching are extremely challenging. In this study, In2O3@Ni2P (IO@NP) heterojunctions are attained by annealing MIL-68­(In) and combining the resulting material with NP via a simple hydrothermal method. Visible-light photocatalysis experiments validate that the optimized IO@NP heterojunction exhibits a dramatically improved H2 release rate of 2485.5 μmol g–1 h–1 of 92.4 times higher than that of IO. Optical characterization reveals that the doping of IO with an NP component promotes the rapid separation of photo-induced carriers and enables the capture of visible light. Moreover, the interfacial effects of the IO@NP heterojunction and synergistic interaction between IO and NP that arises through their close contact mean that plentiful active centers are available to reactants. Notably, eosin Y (EY) acts as a sacrificial photosensitizer and has a significant effect on the rate of H2 generation under visible light irradiation, which is an aspect that needs further improvement. Overall, this study describes a feasible approach for synthesizing promising IO-based heterojunctions for use in practical photocatalysis.

Ni2P Nanoparticles Supported on N, P Co-Doped Carbon as Catalyst for α-Alkylation of Arylacetonitriles with Alcohols

“…The transition metal phosphides (TMPs) have attracted great attention in diverse areas, like the chemical synthesis, electrocatalytic − and photocatalytic hydrogen evolution − reactions, and so on . It is noteworthy that the utilization of TMPs for organic catalysis remains underexplored and encounters numerous intricate challenges.…”

MIL‐68(In)‐derived In2O3/In2S3/C: In situ synthesis and efficient visible‐light photocatalytic H2O2 generation

“…18 The In oxide or sulfide-based hetero photocatalysts were wildly developed due to their excellent light harvest sensitivity in both the UV and visible light region. For instance, the porous hydrangea-like In 2 S 3 /In 2 O 3 heterostructure, 19 In 2 O 3 @CdS, 20 In 2 O 3 @g-C 3 N 4 , 21 and In 2 S 3 @CdIn 2 S 4 @In 2 O 3 , 22 all of them exhibit the promoted photocatalytic performances, but mostly for CO 2 reduction or H 2 evolution. Therefore, broadening the applications of these In-based hetero photocatalysts in efficient H 2 O 2 productions under visible-light irradiation may still be a hard work.…”