Efficient H₂ Production from Biomass-Based HCO₂H by Cooperation of Quantum Dots Photocatalysts with Weak HCHO Adsorption and In Situ Generated Ni⁰

Efficient hydrogen (H2) production from renewable resources, such as biomass, one of the largest renewable resources on the earth, instead of fossil resources, is highly desirable. Making it via HCO2H as an intermediate for H2 production from biomass both facilitates efficient H2 production and can avoid the issues of H2 storage. Herein, we report efficient H2 production from raw biomass-based formic acid (HCO2H) by a noble-metal-free catalysis system under mild conditions, enabled by cooperation of CdS/ZnS-S2– quantum dots photocatalysts with weak formaldehyde (HCHO) adsorption and in situ generated Ni0, resulting in H2 with a 94% yield in 3.5 h, with a 99.7% selectivity and a 537 ± 14 mol mg–1 h–1 average rate at 50 °C under visible-light irradiation. This study should promote the exploration of catalytic systems for streamlined H2 production from renewable biomass for practical application.