Triptycene-Based Polymer-Incorporated Cd x Zn1- xS Nanorod with Enhanced Interfacial Charge Transfer for Stable Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production in Seawater

Yiming He; Jian Zhang; Jian Rong; Jinfeng Mei; Qian Liang; Zhongyu Li

doi:10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c00605

Triptycene-Based Polymer-Incorporated Cd _x Zn_{1- x}S Nanorod with Enhanced Interfacial Charge Transfer for Stable Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production in Seawater

Inorg Chem. 2023 May 1;62(17):6833-6842. doi: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c00605. Epub 2023 Apr 17.

Authors

Yiming He¹, Jian Zhang¹, Jian Rong², Jinfeng Mei², Qian Liang¹, Zhongyu Li^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Catalytic Materials and Technology, Advanced Catalysis and Green Manufacturing Collaborative Innovation Center, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, P. R. China.
² School of Environmental & Safety Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, P. R. China.

PMID: 37067429
DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c00605

Abstract

Solar-driven hydrogen (H₂) generation from seawater exhibits great economic value in addressing the urgent energy shortage yet faces challenges from the severe salt-deactivation effect, which could result in the consumption of photoinduced charges and decomposition of catalysts. Herein, a triptycene-based polymer was coated on the surface of a Cd_xZn_1-xS nanorod to form a core-shell heterojunction (TCP@CZS) by using the in situ Suzuki reaction for photocatalytic H₂ production from water/seawater splitting. The introduction of TCP can provide a large surface area, enrich the active site, and boost charge transfer for the proton reduction reaction. Benefiting from it, optimal TCP@CZS indicated a H₂ evolution rate of 93.88 mmol h^-1 g^-1 with Na₂S/Na₂SO₃ in natural seawater under simulated solar light irradiation, which was 2.2 and 1.1 times higher than that of pure Cd_0.6Zn_0.4S and that in pure water, respectively. Besides, the apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) of TCP@CZS-3 under 420 nm light irradiation was 22.6% in seawater. This work highlights the feasibility of the triptycene-based porous organic polymer as an efficient catalyst for solar energy conversion in seawater.