Bimetal-regulated indium-based metal-organic framework family realizing highly efficient photo/electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction

Based on promptly emerging global necessity and future environmental considerations, highly efficient production of hydrogen as sustainable energy receives great attention. In this work, bimetal-regulated In-based metal-organic framework (MOF) family is successfully designed and obtained. The most importance is that they exhibit high electrocatalytic and photocatalytic activities towards hydrogen generation from water. Such photo/electro-catalyst for efficiently producing hydrogen is a great challenge and requirement, which is also considered as the best way for green energy production. Herein, bimetallic indium-based MOFs is named as In/M-MOFs (M = Ni, Mn, Co, Fe and In). Among of them, In/Ni-MOF as electrocatalyst achieves a stable HER current with an extremely low overpotential of 215 mV at 10 mA cm−2 in 0.1 M KOH, and it as photocatalyst presents a superior hydrogen evolution efficiency of 1478.75 μmol·h−1·g−1 under full-range irradiation. These exciting results highlight great potential of In-based MOFs via bimetal regulation and control, and provide bright prospect for the construction of dual-functional green catalysts in the field of photo/electrocatalysis.