PI.090 Green Hydrogen Production Employing Nickel Poly(Heptazine Imide) Photocatalysts: a Low-Cost Catalyst for H2 Evolution

Resumo

With the global economy expanding and fossil fuels persisting, the pursuit of novel energy sources poses a challenge for future generations. Our reliance on fossil resources during past decades has given rise to notable consequences for the planet's ecological equilibrium, including pollution and irreversible climate changes. In response, an alternative arises in water photolysis, yielding green H₂. It exploits semiconductors capable of directly converting solar energy to break the water molecule and store it into the hydrogen bond. Highly crystalline carbon nitrides, composed of nitrogen and carbon and active in the visible-light, have demonstrated remarkable efficiency in this process. Nonetheless, due to suboptimal electron transfer performance, noble metal cocatalysts are imperative, introducing economic impediment. Herein, a novel methodology has been developed to enable a simple, direct, and controllable incorporation of Ni upon the poly(heptazine imide) (PHI) architecture as isolated atoms or clusters. The resultant material showcases exceptional photoinduced hydrogen generation without noble metals. Notably, a Ni concentration of 9% delivers a hydrogen generation rate of 2376 μmol h^-1 g^-1, compared to Pt-containing material's 4245 μmol h^-1 g^-1, holding promise for efficient, noble metal-free hydrogen production.