Plasmon‐Engineered Au@UiO‐66‐NH 2 Photocatalyst for Visible‐Light Driven H 2 O 2 and H 2 Production

ABSTRACT Plasmon‐induced photocatalytic production of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and hydrogen (H 2 ) offers a sustainable strategy for solar energy conversion and environmental remediation. However, pristine metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) often exhibit limited visible‐light absorption and rapid charge carrier recombination, restricting their photocatalytic efficiency. In this work, plasmonic Au nanoparticles were integrated with UiO‐66‐NH 2 through two synthetic approaches: Ex situ adsorption–reduction and In situ solvothermal incorporation, yielding Au@UiO‐66‐NH 2 composites. Their photocatalytic performances were systematically evaluated for visible‐light‐driven H 2 O 2 and H 2 production. Among the prepared catalysts, the Ex situ Au@UiO‐66‐NH 2 demonstrated the highest activity, achieving an H 2 O 2 production rate of 1828 µmol g − 1 h − 1 (solar‐to‐chemical conversion efficiency, SCC = 1.24%) in an O 2 ‐saturated IPA–water system, nearly four times higher than pristine UiO‐66‐NH 2 . It also exhibited an H 2 evolution rate of 387.2 µmol h − 1 (apparent conversion efficiency, ACE = 2.98%). The enhanced performance is attributed to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of Au nanoparticles, which improves visible‐light harvesting, promotes interfacial charge transfer, suppresses electron–hole recombination, and provides abundant active sites for redox reactions. These findings demonstrate an effective plasmon‐engineering strategy for developing robust MOF‐based photocatalysts for efficient dual production of H 2 O 2 and H 2 under visible‐light irradiation.