Self-induced electron attraction center formation with pyrophosphorylation strategy for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.

An integral approach towards augmenting the performance of photocatalytic hydrogen production lies in the induction of charge transfer mediators within the material matrix itself, thereby facilitating swift and efficient charge transfer processes. Here, CoTiO 3 is induced to grow its electronic attraction center, CoP 3 , through a high-temperature phosphatization strategy. CoP 3 acts as the active reduction site for the hydrogen evolution reaction and enhances the photocatalytic performance of the pristine catalyst. Compared with pure CoTiO 3 , the PCTO7 hybrid catalyst with the electronic attraction center CoP 3 exhibits a superior photocatalytic performance and good stability. Experimental results show that the hydrogen evolution performance of the PCTO7 hybrid catalyst reaches 56.52 μmol, which is 78 times higher than that of the single catalyst CoTiO 3 (0.72 μmol). These results demonstrate that the hybrid catalyst with the self-induced electronic attraction center has a higher light absorption capacity, faster charge carrier dynamics and improved photogenerated charge carrier separation and transfer than pure CoTiO 3 , resulting in excellent redox capability. DFT calculations provide evidence supporting the topological metal properties of CoP 3 as the electron sink center. This study provides a feasible approach for enhancing the photocatalytic performance of a pristine catalyst employing a high-temperature phosphatization-induced electron sink center.