Hydroxylporphyrin/NiO nanosheet nanocomposite with strong interfacial interaction for highly efficient hydrogen generation

Abstract

Hexagonal nickel oxide nanosheet (NiO) was surface modified with various amounts of tetrahydroxylphenyl porphyrin (THPP) to form a series of THPP/NiO nanosheet photocatalysts. The interacted mechanism between THPP and NiO was studied in detail by ultraviolet spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy. Furthermore, the photocatalytic activity for hydrogen production and electron transfer mechanism over the THPP/NiO nanosheet nanocomposite were investigated by fluorescence spectra, UV–vis spectra and electrochemical measurements. The results showed that the special coordination interaction between THPP and NiO had an important influence on the photocatalytic performance of the nanocomposite, and a photocatalyst with high and stable photocatalytic activity can be achieved by controlling the interaction between porphyrin and NiO-like metal oxides. It will provide a new idea for fabricating highly efficient photocatalysts for hydrogen production.