MoC/MAPbI3 hybrid composites for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Abstract

Metal halide perovskites, such as iodine methylamine lead (MAPbI₃), have received extensive attention in the field of photocatalytic decomposition of HI for hydrogen evolution, due to their excellent photoelectric properties. In this paper, a new MAPbI₃-based composite, MoC/MAPbI₃, was synthesized. The results show that 15 wt% MoC/MAPbI₃ has the best hydrogen production performance (38.4 μmol h⁻¹), which is approximately 24-times that of pure MAPbI₃ (1.61 μmol h⁻¹). With the extension of the catalytic time, the hydrogen production rate of MoC/MAPbI₃ reached 165.3 μmol h⁻¹ after 16 h due to the effective separation and transfer of charge carriers between MoC and MAPbI₃, showing excellent hydrogen evolution rate performance under visible light. In addition, the cycling stability of MoC/MAPbI₃ did not decrease in multiple 4 h cycle tests. This study used the non-precious metal promoter MoC to modify MAPbI₃, and provides a new idea for the synthesis of efficient MAPbI₃-based composite catalysts.