Fabrication of 1D long chain-like metal porphyrin-based coordination complexes for high-efficiency hydrogen evolution and photoelectric response

Abstract Hydrogen production from electrocatalytic water splitting has aroused extensive attention in many fields recently. Fabrication of low-cost and high-efficiency electrocatalysts are still an urgent and challenging work. Porphyrins as visible-light photosensitizers have been extensively utilized in visible-light photocatalysts and photoelectronic materials. So, fabrication of novel porphyrin-based complexes will be benefited for high-efficiency hydrogen evolution and photoelectric response. Here a series of zirconium porphyrin-based coordination complexes were successfully fabricated via a facile two-step strategy. Due to the unique long chain-like structure and low charge-transfer resistance, the zirconium porphyrin-based coordination complexes displayed excellent electrocatalytic performance for hydrogen evolution reaction. The ZrTPP-PTA-1 showed a low overpotential of 60 mV at the current density 10 mA cm −2 and a Tafel slope of 87 mV dec −1 with an ultralow electron transfer resistance of 17.5 Ω. In addition, a quick photocurrent response occurred for these coordination complexes with a visible-light illumination. The photocurrent of the ZrTPP-OA-2 rised up to 2.5 μA under visible-light irradiation. With this pleasant result, these zirconium porphyrin-based coordination complexes have a great potential to become available alternative of current noble electrocatalysts for photoelectric application.