Engineering a Self‐Grown TiO<sub>2</sub>/Ti‐MOF Heterojunction with Selectively Anchored High‐Density Pt Single‐Atomic Cocatalysts for Efficient Visible‐Light‐Driven Hydrogen Evolution
Xiaoyu He, Yujia Ding, Zhennan Huang, Min Liu, Miaofang Chi, Zili Wu, Carlo U. Segre, Chunshan Song, Xiang Wang, Xinwen Guo
Abstract
Abstract A photocatalyst TiO 2 /Ti‐BPDC‐Pt is developed with a self‐grown TiO 2 /Ti‐metal–organic framework (MOF) heterojunction, i.e., TiO 2 /Ti‐BPDC, and selectively anchored high‐density Pt single‐atomic cocatalysts on Ti‐BPDC for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. This intimate heterojunction, growing from the surface pyrolytic reconstruction of Ti‐BPDC, works in a direct Z‐scheme, efficiently separating electrons and holes. Pt is selectively anchored on Ti‐BPDC by ligands and is found in the form of single atoms with loading up to 1.8 wt %. The selective location of Pt is the electron‐enriched domain of the heterojunction, which further enhances the utilization of the separated electrons. This tailored TiO 2 /Ti‐BPDC‐Pt shows a significantly enhanced activity of 12.4 mmol g −1 h −1 compared to other TiO 2 ‐ or MOF‐based catalysts. The structure‐activity relationship further proves the balance of two simultaneously exposed domains of heterojunctions is critical to fulfilling this kind of catalyst.