Metal‐Organic Framework Derived Terephthalate Ligand Decorated TiO₂ with Various Morphologies for Efficient Photocatalytic H₂ Evolution

AbstractIt has been rarely reported the morphological control of derivatives of metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) in hydrothermal conditions for photocatalytic applications. We report here a family of highly efficient composite photocatalysts composed of terephthalic acid/terephthalate (TPA) ligand and TiO2 with various morphologies (e. g., nanoparticles, nanosheets, and nanorods). The composites are synthesized by a simple one‐step hydrothermal method in various solvents (i. e., H2O, HF, H2SO4, HCl, and HNO3) using Ti‐based MOF (MIL‐125(Ti)) as precursor. The formation mechanism of composite materials with different morphological features is discussed. Impressively, the composite of TiO2 nanoparticles/TPA synthesized using H2O as solvent under hydrothermal condition exhibits the highest photocatalytic H2 activity among the studied materials, with a photocatalytic H2 production rate of 6.38 mmol g−1 h−1, which is approximately 7.5‐fold higher than pure TiO2 (Degussa, P25) and prominent apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) of 65 % at 365 nm. Furthermore, the mechanism of boosted photocatalytic H2 production is discussed.