Noble metal-free integrated UiO-66-PANI-Co3O4 catalyst for visible-light-induced H2 production

Abstract

The discriminate etching chemistry (crystal engineering) of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) offers promising opportunities for tailoring electron–hole separation, and charge-carrier utilization plays a central role in photocatalysis. Herein, the noble metal-free examples of polyaniline (PANI)-sensitized cobalt oxide functionalized perfect crystal UiO-66 and defective crystal UiO-66D photocatalysts were synthesized and evaluated for photocatalytic hydrogen generation from water under visible light irradiation. A viable route for the simple yet effective modification of UiO-66 by implanting PANI and cobalt oxide was demonstrated for the development of a series of UiO-66-based catalysts. The UiO-66-PANI-Co₃O₄ catalyst showed staggeringly enhanced photocatalytic activity, which was 24 times that of the pristine UiO-66(Zr).