Bandgap matching-triggered self-sustaining photocatalytic oxidation

Abstract

Exploration of novel photocatalytic systems with inner light sources and less energy consumption is desirable to extend the applications of photocatalytic oxidation. An intelligent route is to achieve energy cycling between a light source and photocatalytic oxidation. However, conventional photocatalytic systems cannot produce light emission, which restricts energy cycling. We found that the involvement of cataluminescence (CTL) greatly enhanced the efficiency of photocatalytic oxidation with a hetero-structured catalyst comprising Co(OH)₂ and zeolitic imidazolate frameworks-67 (ZIF-67), denoted as “Co(OH)₂@ZIF-67”. Mechanistic investigations revealed that bandgap matching between CTL emission and absorption of the catalyst benefited energy cycling and facilitated charge carrier separation/transport, resulting in acceleration of the CTL reaction. The universality of this strategy was further verified with ZIF-8 and FeO(OH) catalysts. Our study has opened a new avenue for exploring effective photocatalytic systems through bandgap matching-induced energy cycling towards various applications in sensing, organic synthesis, pollutant degradation, and even water-splitting.