Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production Achieved by WO3 Coupled with NiP2 Over ZIF-8

Abstract

The photo-catalyst WO3/NiP2@ZIF-8 was synthesized by modifying the WO3 with NiP2@MOFs structure. High H2 production was achieved (341.2 µmol and 11.3 times than pure WO3 after 5 h) and the catalytic property of WO3 was improved. The XRD, FESEM and TEM were used to characterize and analyze the crystalline phase structure, namely, WO3 has nanowire structure and good crystalline phase, meanwhlie, ZIF-8 exhibits regular dodecahedron morphology. The catalysts were characterized and analyzed by electrochemical, steady-state and transient state, those results show that the composite has more efficient charge separation effect and better electrical performance than single catalyst, which provides a reliable basis for relative higher H2 production activity. The band gap structure and elemental valence of the composite catalysts were calculated and analyzed by UV–Vis DR and XPS, respectively. The possible reaction equation and H2 production mechanism of WO3/NiP2@ZIF-8 in HER were proposed.