Polymer Wrapping Improves Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Abstract Photoelectronic and photothermal effects are two major effects that can promote the performance of photocatalysis. Developing a simple and versatile method to utilize these two effects can largely promote the performance of photocatalysts. In this study, a simple and feasible polymer wrapping strategy is proposed to improve the catalytic activity and stability of photocatalysts in HER. The PMMA‐wrapped Pt/g‐C ₃ N ₄ demonstrates a high HER rate of 8.84 mmol g ⁻¹ h ⁻¹ , which is 1.5 folds of that of unwrapped Pt/g‐C ₃ N ₄ . Both experimental results and theoretical calculations demonstrate that PMMA wrapping not only improves light absorption but also enhances charge separation and local heating. Notably, the photothermal effect of Pt/g‐C ₃ N ₄ is significantly enhanced after PMMA wrapping, dominating the catalysis enhancement. More importantly, the strategy is highly versatile and can be applied to various photocatalytic systems. Overall, this work provides a simple and practical approach for designing and fabricating highly efficient photocatalysts, and this strategy may also be extended to many other photocatalysis systems.