Copper(i) cysteine complexes: efficient earth-abundant oxidation co-catalysts for visible light-driven photocatalytic H2 production

Abstract

A copper(I) cysteine complex generated by mixing Cu(II) ions with cysteine in aqueous solution greatly enhanced the activity of CdSe photocatalysts for H₂ production in aqueous solution under visible light excitation. The complex can enhance the H₂ evolution rate by as much as 150 times, by acting as an oxidation co-catalyst and increasing charge carrier lifetimes. The copper(I) cysteine complex can also be applied to enhance the H₂ production performance of other semiconductor photocatalyst systems, thereby affording a new research direction in the development of co-catalysts for solar hydrogen production.