A 2D bimetallic Ni–Co hydroxide monolayer cocatalyst for boosting photocatalytic H2 evolution

Abstract

Here, we report two-dimensional (2D) Ni–Co hydroxide monolayers (NiCo-HMs) as a highly active cocatalyst for enhancing the photocatalytic H₂ evolution of 2D g-C₃N₄ nanosheets. The NiCo-HMs can expand the interface of electron migration, promote the separation of photogenerated carriers, provide synergistic Co–Ni active sites, and optimize atomic hydrogen adsorption to improve the kinetics of the catalytic reaction. The resulting 2D/2D NiCo-HMs/g-C₃N₄ heterojunction displays a high photocatalytic H₂ evolution of 3.58 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹.