Trinuclear iron-oxo cocatalyst regulating new electron transfer pathway in Pt loaded bismuth oxychloride for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen production

BiOCl, a traditional p-type semiconductor, finds extensive application in photocatalytic oxidation and degradation, whereas it is less common in photocatalytic water splitting and hydrogen production. Here, the photocatalytic hydrogen production performance of black BiOCl has been examined by the introduction of noble metal platinum and cocatalyst trinuclear iron-oxo cluster. During the 5-h photocatalytic process, the established system significantly augments the hydrogen production efficiency of black BiOCl by an estimated factor of 8.53. Under illumination, trinuclear iron-oxo clusters provide electron recombination with holes in the valence band of the catalyst, thereby increasing the utilization of photogenerated electrons. Additionally, since the specific energy level structure has a significant impact on the cocatalyst function, trinuclear iron-oxo clusters can be suitable in a variety of photocatalytic systems. This new endeavor might present creative design approaches and low-cost cocatalyst alternatives for the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from the water splitting of conventional p-type semiconductor materials.