Shuangshuang Zhou, Qiqun Liu, Xiaowei Li, Ning Wang, Cheng-Bo Li
{"title":"A nanobelt structure as a photocatalyst assembled from molecular cobalt complexes boosts hydrogen evolution","authors":"Shuangshuang Zhou, Qiqun Liu, Xiaowei Li, Ning Wang, Cheng-Bo Li","doi":"10.1039/d4ta05432f","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Homogeneous molecular catalysts suffer from formidable recycling and instability challenges, preventing their further application. In this paper, we report that thiophene substituted salen metal complexes could work as heterogeneous hydrogen evolution photocatalysts in the water phase after self-assembling into a supramolecular nanobelt by highly ordered π–π stacking, which exhibited semiconductor properties. Compared to the previously reported salen metal catalysts which need photosensitizers and organic solvents, the newly assembled catalyst serves as a photocatalyst in the water phase, and its hydrogen evolution rate is 55 times higher than that of its homogeneous system and 110 times higher than that of metal salen complexes without the thiophene group, and the stability is also greatly improved. The enhanced catalytic activity is revealed to be due to the great improvement of optical absorption, charge separation and interfacial charge transfer rates.","PeriodicalId":82,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Materials Chemistry A","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":10.7000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Materials Chemistry A","FirstCategoryId":"88","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ta05432f","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, PHYSICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Homogeneous molecular catalysts suffer from formidable recycling and instability challenges, preventing their further application. In this paper, we report that thiophene substituted salen metal complexes could work as heterogeneous hydrogen evolution photocatalysts in the water phase after self-assembling into a supramolecular nanobelt by highly ordered π–π stacking, which exhibited semiconductor properties. Compared to the previously reported salen metal catalysts which need photosensitizers and organic solvents, the newly assembled catalyst serves as a photocatalyst in the water phase, and its hydrogen evolution rate is 55 times higher than that of its homogeneous system and 110 times higher than that of metal salen complexes without the thiophene group, and the stability is also greatly improved. The enhanced catalytic activity is revealed to be due to the great improvement of optical absorption, charge separation and interfacial charge transfer rates.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Materials Chemistry A, B & C covers a wide range of high-quality studies in the field of materials chemistry, with each section focusing on specific applications of the materials studied. Journal of Materials Chemistry A emphasizes applications in energy and sustainability, including topics such as artificial photosynthesis, batteries, and fuel cells. Journal of Materials Chemistry B focuses on applications in biology and medicine, while Journal of Materials Chemistry C covers applications in optical, magnetic, and electronic devices. Example topic areas within the scope of Journal of Materials Chemistry A include catalysis, green/sustainable materials, sensors, and water treatment, among others.