Noble Metal Free Composite Made of Holey Porous Carbon Nitrides @ Molecular Nickel Complex for Photocatalytic Solar H ₂ Production

A holey porous carbon nitride system has been prepared from melamine and cyanuric acid. It is further attached to Nickel phytic acid complex. Detailed morphological and elemental features have been further correlated with the ongoing photophysical properties. Later, the excited state dynamics has been clarified by femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. Results suggest a highly efficient photoinduced charge separation process between the two counterparts of the composite system. The overall charge separation process has been further supported by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and transient photocurrent studies. Finally, the composite system has been utilized for photocatalytic H₂ production from water. The H₂ production efficiency has reached up to 11 mmol/g under full Xe light irradiation and it remains active even under near-infrared light irradiation. The calculated apparent QYs for the H₂ productions are ∼7% and 4.2% at 400 and 850 nm, respectively.