Phosphating MIL-53(Fe) as cocatalyst modified porous NiTiO3 for photocatalytic hydrogen production

Reasonably construct a new type of NiTiO3/Fe2P to modify porous perovskite materials and use simple high-temperature phosphating treatments. The results showed that the optimal hydrogen production performance of NiTiO3/Fe2P reached 299.00 mmol in 5 h, which is 3.68 times that of pure Fe2P. The existence of metal-organic framework materials as supporting materials facilitates the dispersed growth of NiTiO3 and Fe2P, and avoids the aggregation of nanorods and particles. The introduction of perovskite porous nanorods is the reason for the enhanced light absorption capacity of composite materials. In addition, transition metal phosphide Fe2P as a co-catalyst can serve as an electron trapping center to receive electrons from NiTiO3. Photoluminescence spectroscopy and electrochemical experiments have confirmed that transition metals have good conductivity and can effectively enhance the separation and transfer of carriers. Density functional theory calculations are used to calculate the band structure and density of states of NiTiO3 and Fe2P. In conclusion, this study provides a new idea for improving the photocatalytic activity of perovskite materials by modifying porous nanorod NiTiO3 with derivatives of MOF materials. (C) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.