Efficient photochemical production of hydrogen in aqueous solution by simply incorporating a water-insoluble hydrogenase mimic into a hydrogel

A composite catalyst Hy-pyr/PVP constructed by incorporating a hydrophobic [Fe-Fe]-hydrogenase mimic (Hy-pyr) into the self-crosslinked polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) hydrogel has been successfully applied to photocatalytic production of hydrogen in aqueous solution with high catalytic activity and efficiency. The present study provides a general, simple and efficient strategy for the application of water-insoluble catalysts in aqueous solution by using the PVP hydrogel.