Selective Photocatalysis of Benzyl Alcohol Valorization by Cocatalyst Engineering Over Zn2In2S5 Nanosheets

Photocatalytic conversion of benzyl alcohol (BA) is a promising means to coproduce H 2 with value-added chemicals. However, there is a lack of an efficient strategy to regulate the selectivity of the BA conversion products. Here, by a simple cocatalyst engineering technique, the selective conversion of BA over Zn 2 In 2 S 5 nanosheets (ZIS) is maneuvered. Two types of cocatalysts, i.e., Pt and Cd, are photo-deposited onto ZIS that can shift the selectivity to diverse products, namely, Pt to benzaldehyde (BAD) and Cd to the carbon-carbon (C─C) coupling compounds. Mechanistic studies indicate that Cd has a high reducing capacity to convert BAD back to the ketyl radical (C