The elaborate development of photocatalysts that can maximize the utility of solar energy with simultaneous photocatalytic H2 evolution and high-quality chemicals production holds great promise in the field of selective photoredox synthesis. Herein, the in situ growth of CdS nanowires on the outside surface of Co9S8 hollow nanocages is reported to create a hierarchical CdS/Co9S8 hollow photocatalyst for efficient photochemical coupling of amines to produce imines and H2. This ingenious hierarchical photocatalyst has a unique hollow structure and dense interfacial contact with a type-I band orientation, which facilitates the interfacial transfer of charge carriers. The photocatalytic activity of this hierarchical hollow catalyst is significantly enhanced in comparison to CdS and Co9S8, and distinctively exhibits excellent recycling stability. Mechanistic studies have shown that the carbon-centered radical Ph(•CH)NH2 is essential for the reaction. Additionally, the CdS/Co9S8 hollow hybrid also exhibits outstanding performance in coupling various primary amines to the corresponding imines, highlighting the broad applicability of this photocatalyst for C-N coupling reactions. This work offers a new strategy for the efficient design of heterostructured hollow semiconductor-based photocatalysts for the cooperative coupling of clean fuel production and fine chemical synthesis.
Keywords: H2 evolution; hierarchical hollow structure; imines synthesis; photoredox reaction.
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