Quantum Dot/ZIF-67/ZIF‑8 Heterostructure for\nEfficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production

Abstract

With\na high porosity and highly adaptable topology, ZIF-67 is considered\nthe most promising photocatalyst and has received much attention and\ndevelopment. However, the photoactive electron extraction rate of\nZIF-67 is still low, which is a major problem limiting its further\ndevelopment. In this paper, based on the type I structure and using\nquantum dots (QDs) as the active site, we obtain the QDs@ZIF-67/ZIF-8\nheterostructure, which ensures high-yield hydrogen efficiency. Quantum\ndots, as the transmission site of photogenerated electrons, improve\nthe photogenerated carrier utilization rate generated by the strong\nabsorption ability of ZIF-67 in the visible-light region. Through\ncareful characterization, it was found that the optimal photocatalytic\nrate of 4999.7 μmol·g^–1·h^–1, a value 30 times higher than that of QDs, provides an innovative\nband gap-matching design for adjusting the charge transfer characteristics\nof QDs with a narrow band gap, which realizes the efficient utilization\nof visible light.