UiO-66 MOFs as electron transport channel to short circuit dye photosensitizer and NiS2 co-catalyst for increased hydrogen generation

Abstract We report an Erythrosin B (ErB) dye/UiO-66/NiS2 system to achieve the increased photocatalytic H2 generation, in which UiO-66 serves as the electron channel to transport the electrons from photoexcited ErB dye to NiS2 co-catalyst. The π-π interaction ensures an effective adsorption of ErB dye upon UiO-66 and the functionalized organic linkers guarantee the growth of NiS2. The UiO-66/NiS2 composite with optimal content of NiS2 (5.0 wt%) offers an active H2 generation rate of 18.4 μmol·h-1, nearly 2 times higher than that by using NiS2 and ErB (9.8 μmol·h-1). The present study manifests the advantage of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as the electron transfer channel to boost the H2 generation of conventional systems containing photosensitizer and H2 generation co-catalyst.