In Situ Photoreduction Synthesis of Fe(0)/Melamine Core–Shell Submicrocubes for Efficient Photocatalytic H2 Evolution

Exploring low-cost and noble-metal-free HER (hydrogen evolution reaction) cocatalysts, such as Fe, Co, or Ni for H2 evolution, has drawn great attention in heterogeneous photocatalysis. Herein, for the first time, we reported a novel, facile approach to synthesize a Fe(0)/melamine composite HER cocatalyst through in situ photoreduction of Fe(II)-melamine complex at room temperature in the presence of Eosin Y (EY) and trimethylamine (TMA). The Fe(0)/melamine composite displays core–shell submicrocubes, which shows superior photocatalytic H2 evolution performance and good stability. The melamine modified on Fe(0) surface not only keeps Fe from being oxidized, but also increases the electron transfer ability from EY to metal Fe(0) and decreases the HER overpotential, promoting efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution under visible light irradiation. This work provides a new strategy to obtain highly efficient stable photocatalyst via a facile in situ photoreduction approach by using low-cost earth-abundant elements (Fe, C, and N).