Ultrasmall CoP Nanoparticles as Efficient Cocatalysts for Photocatalytic Formic Acid Dehydrogenation

Photocatalytic dehydrogenation of formic acid (FA) under mild conditions can meet the increasing demand for H-2 generation in a sustainable manner. In this work, ultrasmall CoP nanoparticle (NP) is first introduced as an efficient and robust cocatalyst for photocatalytic FA dehydrogenation. Both the density function theory and experimental results show excellent H-2 production property for CoP NPs. The H-2 production rate for the CdS/CoP@RGO hybrid under visible light irradiation without any additives can reach up to 182 +/- 12.5 mu mol. mg(-1).hr(-1), which is more than 30 times higher than that of bare CdS and over 3 times the reported value of classical noble metal Pd/C3N4 photocatalysts. The system can be sustained for more than 7 days, which is promising for practical application. The present work not only introduces a highly active catalyst but also provides a feasible strategy for construction of a low-cost photocatalytic FA dehydrogenation system under mild conditions.