Complexes Based on Zinc and Cadmium for Visible Light-Driven Hydrogen Production

Photocatalytic water decomposition using solar energy is one of the most effective hydrogen production technologies. The development of a structurally stable photocatalyst for hydrogen production without cocatalysts and photosensitizers remains a great challenge. In this paper, complex photocatalyst compounds 1 and 2 with different crystal structures were designed and obtained by connecting the 4 '-(2,4-disulfophenyl)-4,2 ':6 ',4 ''-terpyridine organic ligands with Zn(Ac)(2)<middle dot>2H(2)O and CdCO3. These products were used for photocatalytic hydrogen production separately, and the hydrogen production rates of compounds 1 and 2 were 0.66 mol<middle dot>mol(-1)<middle dot>h(-1) and 0.12 mol<middle dot>mol(-1)<middle dot>h(-1), respectively, without the addition of any cocatalysts and photosensitizers, and their charge separation and transfer processes were verified by PL, time-resolved PL, and photocurrent. Compound 1 was tested in 6 cycles over 18 h and showed high stability and reproducibility.