Shape‐dependent hydrogen generation performance of PtPd bimetallic co‐catalyst coupled with C 3 N 4 photocatalyst

Abstract The shape‐dependent performance of metal co‐catalysts in photocatalysis has been one of the research focal points in recent years. In this study, PtPd/C 3 N 4 hybrid structures were constructed to reveal the effect of the shape of the PtPd bimetallic co‐catalyst on the performance of photocatalytic hydrogen generation. PtPd nanocubes (NCs) and nanotetrahedrons (NTs) were sequentially deposited in situ on the surface of C 3 N 4 nanosheets, establishing a strong contact interface to ensure the smooth transfer of photoinduced electrons. Ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and photoelectrochemical experiments revealed that the PtPd NCs/C 3 N 4 photocatalyst had comparable light absorption ability and equivalent carrier separation and transfer efficiency in comparison with the PtPd NTs/C 3 N 4 photocatalyst, which excluded the influence of these factors on shape‐dependent performance. The photocatalytic hydrogen generation results indicate that the hydrogen generation rate of the PtPd NCs/C 3 N 4 photocatalyst is 1.33 times higher than that of the PtPd NTs/C 3 N 4 photocatalyst, demonstrating that the cubic PtPd bimetallic co‐catalyst is more conducive to hydrogen generation compared to the tetrahedral PtPd bimetallic co‐catalyst.