Bismuth nanocluster loaded on N-doped porous carbon with “memory catalysis” effect for efficient photocatalytic H2 generation and uranium(VI) reduction

Photocatalytic hydrogen production and uranium reduction can solve the problems of energy crisis and environmental pollution. Here, bismuth nanocluster loaded on N-doped porous carbon (Bi0/NC) with "memory catalysis" effect was prepared through a Bi-MOF precursor pyrolysis strategy for H2 generation and UO22+ reduction. The photocatalyst achieved an enhanced H2 production rate of 12.8 mmol g−1 h−1 and an improved UO22+ removal ratio of 95.9 %, which was 3.2 and 1.8 times as pristine carbon material, respectively. Moreover, both the H2 generation and UO22+ reduction showed a sustained activity under dark condition. Improved activity is ascribed to the optimized electronic property and the enhanced charge separation in Bi0/NC, which can be proved by the DFT calculation of projected density of state, Fermi level and charge density difference. This work provides a new strategy to realize the continuous H2 generation and U(VI) reduction in day and night.