Amorphous nickel borate as a high-efficiency cocatalyst for H2 generation and fine chemical synthesis

Abstract

The exploration of active and low-cost cocatalyst is one of the most important topics in photocatalysis. Amorphous transition metal borates are a kind of promising cocatalyst with abundant unsaturated sites and high electrical conductivity. However, the relevant research is scanty. Here, we report the growth of Ni-Bi cocatalyst onto ZnIn2S4 nanosheets, for simultaneous H2 evolution and benzaldehyde production. The ZnIn2S4 nanosheet with a suitable band gap acts as an ideal photoactive substrate, while the Ni-Bi cocatalyst provides plentiful active sites and accelerates surface reactions. This study may enlighten the design of high-efficiency transition metal borates cocatalysts for photocatalytic application.