MOF-Derived Non-Noble Metal CoP Nanoparticle Modified TiO2 for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production

Photocatalytic decomposition of water to hydrogen is an attractive way to simultaneously handle the energy crisis and environmental pollution issues. Herein, non-noble CoP is prepared facilely by phosphating an MOF precursor and used as a cocatalyst in photocatalytic hydrogen production. It significantly improved the photocatalytic activity through the accelerated separation of photoinduced charge carriers and the introduction of hydrogen formation sites. The optimal hydrogen production rate of CoP/TiO2 composites is achieved at 1701.1 μmol·g–1·h–1, which is 72 times that of the pure TiO2. Importantly, MOF derivatives have specific surface area, high crystallinity, etc., manifesting the unique potential for constructing versatile and effective cocatalysts. This work has a certain reference significance for developing efficient catalysts toward better photocatalysis.