Polymer Wrapping Improves Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution
Zhihao Lü, Zhuoyao Li, Panqi Wang, Zhiwei Yang, Yulong Zhang, Xing Kang, Qinghua Liu, Zihan Zhang, Yingying Cai, Xiao Huang, Gang Lü
Abstract
Abstract Photoelectronic and photothermal effects are two major effects that can promote the performance of photocatalysis. Developing a simple and versatile method to utilize these two effects can largely promote the performance of photocatalysts. In this study, a simple and feasible polymer wrapping strategy is proposed to improve the catalytic activity and stability of photocatalysts in HER. The PMMA‐wrapped Pt/g‐C 3 N 4 demonstrates a high HER rate of 8.84 mmol g −1 h −1 , which is 1.5 folds of that of unwrapped Pt/g‐C 3 N 4 . Both experimental results and theoretical calculations demonstrate that PMMA wrapping not only improves light absorption but also enhances charge separation and local heating. Notably, the photothermal effect of Pt/g‐C 3 N 4 is significantly enhanced after PMMA wrapping, dominating the catalysis enhancement. More importantly, the strategy is highly versatile and can be applied to various photocatalytic systems. Overall, this work provides a simple and practical approach for designing and fabricating highly efficient photocatalysts, and this strategy may also be extended to many other photocatalysis systems.