Flexible Hybrid Membrane with Synergistic Exciton Dynamics for Excessive 280 h of Durably Piezo-Photocatalytic H₂O-to-H₂ Conversion

Solar-driven H₂O-to-H₂ conversion is a feasible artificial photoconversion technology for clean energy production. However, low photon utilization efficiency has become a major obstacle limiting the practical application of this technology. Herein, a metal atomic replacement (Sb→Ni) is conducted to disintegrate bulk Sb₂S₃ nanorods and synchronously grow the NiS nanolayers, and a flower-like Sb₂S₃-NiS nanocomposite with high BET specific surface area and synergistic exciton dynamics is constructed for simulated solar (SSL)-driven H₂O-to-H₂ conversion. The optimal Sb₂S₃-NiS nanocomposite is compounded with polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) to prepare a flexible PVDF/Sb₂S₃-NiS (PSN) hybrid membrane with stable structure and excellent recyclability via an electrospinning method. Due to the synergistically interacted organic-inorganic interface and high porosity, it is conducive to the exposure of effective active sites, exciton conduction and mass transfer and exchange, thereby an outstanding alkaline (Ph = 13.0) H₂O-to-H₂ conversion activity with a 0.06% of solar-to-hydrogen efficiency and over 280 h (70 cycles) of durable recycling is achieved under the collaborative drives of SSL and weak ultrasound (40 Hz). This study raises a state-of-the-art membrane material for solar-driven panel reaction technology.