Triptycene-Based Polymer-Incorporated Cd x Zn 1- x S Nanorod with Enhanced Interfacial Charge Transfer for Stable Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production in Seawater.

Solar-driven hydrogen (H 2 ) generation from seawater exhibits great economic value in addressing the urgent energy shortage yet faces challenges from the severe salt-deactivation effect, which could result in the consumption of photoinduced charges and decomposition of catalysts. Herein, a triptycene-based polymer was coated on the surface of a Cd x Zn 1- x S nanorod to form a core-shell heterojunction (TCP@CZS) by using the in situ Suzuki reaction for photocatalytic H 2 production from water/seawater splitting. The introduction of TCP can provide a large surface area, enrich the active site, and boost charge transfer for the proton reduction reaction. Benefiting from it, optimal TCP@CZS indicated a H 2 evolution rate of 93.88 mmol h -1 g -1 with Na 2 S/Na 2 SO 3 in natural seawater under simulated solar light irradiation, which was 2.2 and 1.1 times higher than that of pure Cd 0.6 Zn 0.4 S and that in pure water, respectively. Besides, the apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) of TCP@CZS-3 under 420 nm light irradiation was 22.6% in seawater. This work highlights the feasibility of the triptycene-based porous organic polymer as an efficient catalyst for solar energy conversion in seawater.