Regulating the Transfer of Photogenerated Carriers for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Coupled with Furfural Synthesis

Abstract

How to simultaneously utilize photogenerated electrons and holes still remains a critical challenge in the field of artificial photosynthesis, especially in the process of photocatalytic hydrogen (H₂) evolution coupled with biomass oxidation to value-added chemicals. Herein, a series-parallel photocatalyst (Cu NPs/CdS/In₂O₃) that can intrinsically regulate the transfer of photogenerated carriers is ingeniously designed for photocatalytic H₂ evolution synergized with furfural alcohol (FFA) selective oxidation to furfural (FF). Accordingly, the desired H₂ and FF evolution rates with near 100% selectivity toward FF are achieved on Cu NPs/CdS/In₂O₃ in a sealed atmospheric system. Experimental and theoretical analyses confirm that the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect induced by Cu NPs accelerates the reduction of protons (H⁺) to H₂ efficiently, while the photogenerated holes from In₂O₃ preferentially activate the α-C-H bond of FFA adsorbed on Lewis acid sites to generate FF. This work provides a reference for regulating the transfer of photogenerated carriers for H₂ evolution coupled with FF synthesis.