S. Kampouri, F. M. Ebrahim, M. Fumanal, M. Nord, P. A. Schouwink, R. Elzein, R. Addou, G. S. Herman, B. Smit, C. P. Ireland, and K. C. Stylianou, Enhanced Visible-Light-Driven Hydrogen Production through MOF/MOF Heterojunctions ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces (2021) DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c23163
Abstract: A strategy for enhancing the photocatalytic performance of MOF-based systems (MOF: metal–organic framework) is developed through the construction of MOF/MOF heterojunctions. The combination of MIL-167 with MIL-125-NH2 leads to the formation of MIL-167/MIL-125-NH2 heterojunctions with improved optoelectronic properties and efficient charge separation. MIL-167/MIL-125-NH2 outperforms its single components MIL-167 and MIL-125-NH2, in terms of photocatalytic H2 production (455 versus 0.8 and 51.2 μmol h–1 g–1, respectively), under visible-light irradiation, without the use of any cocatalysts. This is attributed to the appropriate band alignment of these MOFs, the enhanced visible-light absorption, and long charge separation within MIL-167/MIL-125-NH2. Our findings contribute to the discovery of novel MOF-based photocatalytic systems that can harvest solar energy and exhibit high catalytic activities in the absence of cocatalysts.