Highly Efficient Hydrogen Production in the Photoreforming of Lignocellulosic Biomass Catalyzed by Cu,In‐Doped ZnS Derived from ZIF‐8

Abstract

AbstractCu,In‐doped ZnS (CIZS) is fabricated from a metal–organic framework (MOF) precursor, namely a Cu,In‐doped zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF‐8). The prepared CIZS shows high activity for hydrogen production in the photoreforming reaction of lignocellulosic biomass under simulated sunlight. The activity is 125‐fold greater than that of undoped ZnS produced by the same method. Compared to CIZS synthesized by the conventional solvothermal method for sulfide photocatalysts, the CIZS synthesized via a MOF is characterized by high crystallinity and an 8.9‐fold increase in hydrogen production activity. This catalyst also exhibits better performance than conventional photoreforming catalysts, while it is free from toxic substances, such as Cd, or expensive cocatalysts, like Pt. In addition, the prepared CIZS is stable in photocatalytic reactions and achieves an apparent quantum yield of ≈28% under 360‐nm light irradiation.