Sacrificial-free HO photosynthesis on organic-inorganic core-shell heterojunction under visible light irradiation.

Artificial photosynthesis is a promising way to change light energy into chemical energy stored in hydrogen peroxide (HO). However, numerous heterojunction-based photocatalytic systems have substantially restricted effective HO generation due to the intrinsic tendency toward fast charge recombination and the deficiency in active site population on the catalyst surface, especially under conditions not employing sacrificial agents. This study in situ prepared ZnInS (ZIS) nanoflowers onto a hollow covalent organic framework to strategically engineer a type-II organic-inorganic core-shell heterojunction photocatalyst, transforming O into HO. The heterojunction photocatalyst exhibited an exceptional HO productivity of 3334 μmol gh when no sacrificial agent was added, surpassing most reported systems. Mechanistic studies revealed that the heterojunctions extended the light absorption spectrum toward longer wavelengths and significantly increased the probability of electron transfer from photogenerated carriers to reactive species, which accelerated the reduction of O to HO. Furthermore, theoretical calculations confirmed that the heterojunction formation modified the coordination environment of the active sites on ZIS, fine-tuned the binding interaction between O and the catalyst interface, and reduced the energy barrier of intermediates, leading to superior performance. This study designed a novel, highly efficient organic-inorganic core-shell heterojunction photocatalyst and provided a promising strategy for enhancing the O-to-HO conversion.