Integration of an aminopyridine derived cobalt based homogenous cocatalyst with a composite photocatalyst to promote H2 evolution from water

Abstract

Inexpensive cocatalysts are promising materials to improve the performance of photocatalytic systems. However, a cocatalyst can be anchored onto a photosensitizer in certain amount and further loading can hinder the visible light by blocking the active sites of the photosensitizer. Herein, we introduce the utilization of a cobalt based homogenous cocatalyst with composite photocatalyst CdS/Ni₃C. The homogenous cocatalyst did not occupy the physical space on the photosensitizer and the performance of CdS/Ni₃C was significantly enhanced from 263 μmol h⁻¹ to 750 μmol h⁻¹. The present study showed that homogenous cocatalysts paved a way to further capture the electrons from photoexcited composite photocatalysts and have great potential to enhance the photocatalytic performance for low cost H₂ evolution under visible light.