TCN/NiO Heterojunction

Proton shuttle boosts coproduction

A dynamic tubular carbon nitride/NiO heterojunction with in-situ evolved NiOOH performs proton shuttling to co-produce hydrogen peroxide and hydrogenated benzoin, overcoming the sluggish proton supply in photocatalysis.

Mengting, Li · Di, Qiu · Hongru, Wu · Nie, Longhui · Jing, Wang

Molecular Catalysis 2026

Specifications

H2O2 yield

{'zh': '2095.01', 'en': '2095.01'} µmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹

Hydrogenated benzoin yield

{'zh': '2170.22', 'en': '2170.22'} µmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹

Apparent quantum yield

{'zh': '4.93', 'en': '4.93'} %

Advantages

Unrestricted proton supply

NiOOH oxidizes benzyl alcohol and transfers protons to ORR sites, lifting the proton supply bottleneck from water oxidation.

Near 1:1 dual-product yields

Yields of H2O2 and hydrogenated benzoin are 2095.01 and 2170.22 µmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹, close to stoichiometric co-production.

4.93% quantum yield under visible light

The apparent quantum yield reaches 4.93%, indicating efficient photon utilization.

Applications

• Photocatalytic synthesis：Enables simultaneous synthesis of H2O2 and fine chemicals without sacrificial agents
• Artificial photosynthesis：Mimics natural photosynthesis for efficient solar-to-chemical energy conversion
• Catalytic materials：In-situ evolved NiOOH acts as a bifunctional mediator to promote proton-coupled electron transfer