Au nanoparticle-sensitized nitrogen-doped carbon applied for localized surface plasmon enhanced hydrogen evolution reaction

Abstract

Carbon-supported metal nanoparticles are indispensable catalysts to enabling catalytic water splitting technologies because of their unique size-dependent properties and strong metal-support interactions. Herein, we proposed a two-step synthesis strategy, using imine-type covalent organic frameworks (COFs) as a platform to synthesize nitrogen-doped carbon-supported Au with ultra-high specific surface area through the high-temperature pyrolysis. Thanks for the polarity of imine, the growth of Au NPs in Au_x/NC are ultrafine, monodispersed, and the size of Au can be precisely controlled by adjusting the amount of the metal precursor during the carbothermal reaction. Such framework structure with numerous active sites provided by the COFs renders Au_x/NC ultrahigh catalytic activity and durability for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in acid electrolyte. Most significantly, when illumination occurs, Au_5nm/NC catalyst presents a reduced HER overpotential from 416 mV to 43 mV and a shrunken charge-transfer resistance from 258 to 17 Ω, making the Au_5nm/NC a promising stable catalyst for the LSPR promoted hydrogen evolution reaction.