Eosin Y‑Based Metal–Organic Framework Synergistic with Cobalt(II) Complex for Hydrogen Evolution through Photoinduced Intermolecular Electron Transfer

• Published in: Inorganic chemistry Vol. 62; no. 51; pp. 21424 - 21431
• Main Authors: Zheng, Hao, Pei, Li, Bai, Jianguo, Wu, Pengyan, Zhao, Xiaoli, Yang, Yan, Chen, Zeyuan, Zhang, Moxi, Wang, Jian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 25.12.2023
• ISSN: 0020-1669; 1520-510X; 1520-510X
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c03564

Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a promising approach for producing clean energy and has the potential to play an important role in the transition toward a more sustainable and environmentally friendly energy system. Optimizing the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) process and increasing visible-light utilization play a central role in photocatalysis. Herein, we built a novel Eosin Y-based metal–organic framework (Zn-EYTP) by synergizing a cobalt­(II) complex for boosting the H2 evolution efficiency through photoinduced intermolecular electron transfer. Under optimized conditions, the maximum H2 evolution efficiency for Zn-EYTP was determined to be a turnover number (TON) value of 11,100 under green LED irradiation. And the synthesized Zn-EYTP photocatalysts could be easily recycled to restore the initial photocatalytic activity even after 3 cycles. Detailed studies reveal that the significantly enhanced HER activity in Zn-EYTP could be ascribed to the effective separation of photogenerated charges and the synergistic intermolecular interaction between Zn-EYTP and [Co­(bpy)3]­Cl2. The present work enables a deeper understanding of the importance of the PET process for enhanced HER photocatalytic activities, which will provide a viable strategy for the development of highly efficient photocatalysts.