MOF Derived C/N Co‐Doped ZnO Modified through Facile In Situ Coupling with Ni<i>_x</i>P<i>_y</i> toward Photocatalytic H₂O₂ Production and H₂ Evolution Reaction

Abstract

Abstract Photocatalytic H 2 O 2 and H 2 evolution are the sustainable alternative to meet the energy crisis. To fabricate an efficacious photocatalyst, here a robust MOF‐derived porous C/N co‐doped ZnO nano‐granular particles modified via in situ coupling with Ni x P y cocatalyst is developed. C and N are doped in ZnO via calcination of Zn‐MOF that narrows the bandgap of ZnO as verified by UV–vis DRS. More in, Ni x P y acts as robust cocatalyst, which enhances light absorption ability in the visible region. The existence of C, N, and Ni–P components along with their tremendous charge carrier dynamics are confirmed from XPS, PL, TRPL, and electrochemical analysis, respectively, that enhances the photoctalytic activity effectively. Hence, the H 2 O 2 production rate and H 2 evolution rate for optimized composite C/N‐ZNP‐2 are observed to be 2495.1 ± 62.3 µmol h −1 g −1 and 12265 ± 112.4 µmol h −1 g −1 , which are 2.8 and 2.7 folds higher than C/N‐ZnO, respectively. Additionally, the PO bond helps in inhibiting the further decomposition of H 2 O 2 . Consequently, the porous nature as well as larger surface area along with the presence of Ni x P y cocatalyst in C/N‐ZnO facilitates the overall reaction mechanism, hence paving the path for a robust photo‐catalyst towards sustainable energy generation.