Light-induced charge transfer from a fullerene to a zeolitic imidazolate framework enhances alkaline electrocatalytic hydrogen production

In the process of water electrolysis, the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) suffers from a high energy barrier, which has become a key factor restricting the large-scale commercial application of renewable energy technology. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a durable, efficient, low-cost and environmentally friendly OER electrocatalyst. In the present work, a photo-responsive fullerene (C₆₀) was encapsulated in the cavity of cobalt-containing flake-like zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 (C₆₀@F-ZIF-67). Benefiting from the light-induced charge/energy transfer from the fullerene carbon cage to the metal Co active sites, the as-synthesized C₆₀@F-ZIF-67 exhibited remarkably enhanced OER activity under UV light irradiation. Specifically, the overpotential of 10 mA cm^-2 for C₆₀@F-ZIF-67 decreased from 465 mV in the dark to 324 mV under light in 1 M KOH, amounting to an activity improvement of approximately 30.32%. This work provides a new route for the design and construction of photo-assisted efficient electrocatalysts for water splitting.