MOF Derived C/N Co-Doped ZnO Modified through Facile In Situ Coupling with NixPy toward Photocatalytic H2O2 Production and H2 Evolution Reaction

Photocatalytic H2O2 and H-2 evolution are the sustainable alternative to meet the energy crisis. To fabricate an efficacious photocatalyst, here a robust MOF-derived porous C/N co-doped ZnO nano-granular particles modified via in situ coupling with NixPy cocatalyst is developed. C and N are doped in ZnO via calcination of Zn-MOF that narrows the bandgap of ZnO as verified by UV-vis DRS. More in, NixPy acts as robust cocatalyst, which enhances light absorption ability in the visible region. The existence of C, N, and Ni-P components along with their tremendous charge carrier dynamics are confirmed from XPS, PL, TRPL, and electrochemical analysis, respectively, that enhances the photoctalytic activity effectively. Hence, the H2O2 production rate and H-2 evolution rate for optimized composite C/N-ZNP-2 are observed to be 2495.1 +/- 62.3 mu mol h(-1) g(-1)and 12265 +/- 112.4 mu mol h(-1) g(-1), which are 2.8 and 2.7 folds higher than C/N-ZnO, respectively. Additionally, the P-O bond helps in inhibiting the further decomposition of H2O2. Consequently, the porous nature as well as larger surface area along with the presence of NixPy cocatalyst in C/N-ZnO facilitates the overall reaction mechanism, hence paving the path for a robust photo-catalyst towards sustainable energy generation.