Co 3 C as a promising cocatalyst for superior photocatalytic H 2 production based on swift electron transfer processes

• Published in: Journal of materials chemistry. C, Materials for optical and electronic devices Materials for optical and electronic devices, 2021-03, Vol.9 (9), p.3145-3154
• Main Authors: Irfan, Rana Muhammad, Tahir, Mudassir Hussain, Iqbal, Shahid, Nadeem, Mubashar, Bashir, Tariq, Maqsood, Mudassar, Zhao, Jianqing, Gao, Lijun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2050-7526; 2050-7534
• DOI: 10.1039/D0TC05674J

Photocatalytic hydrogen production using solar energy has been envisaged as an ultimate energy solution for the future. However, expensive and noble-metal based photocatalysts limit its industrial applications. Herein, highly efficient photocatalytic H 2 production has been achieved using Co 3 C as a noble-metal-free cocatalyst on CdS nanorods (NRs). An enhanced hydrogen evolution rate of 315 μmol h −1 was obtained using the optimized photocatalyst. 420 nm light, an apparent quantum yield of 19% was achieved which is among the best reported carbide-based catalysts. To study the versatile role of Co 3 C as a cocatalyst, ZnIn 2 S 4 and g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets were employed as photosensitizers. The obtained results successfully demonstrated that Co 3 C has the ability to play a role as a universal cocatalyst for photocatalytic H 2 production. Electrochemical and spectroscopic studies were utilized to propose an appropriate mechanism for the present excellent photocatalytic H 2 production. This study showed that Co 3 C has excessive potential as a promising cocatalyst for inexpensive H 2 production.