Significant augmentation of hydrogen and benzaldehyde production through mediator-free in-situ synthesis of CuNi/CN photocatalysts for benzyl alcohol splitting

•In-situ fabrication of mediator-free CuNi/CN photocatalyst.•CuNi bimetallic boosts hydrogen production over 500 times.•Clean benzyl alcohol splitting under light without byproducts.•Green, efficient benzaldehyde production with non-precious metals. Amidst growing concerns surrounding global warming and energy scarcity, there is an urgent demand for more efficient and environmentally friendly methods of hydrogen production. In response, we introduce a novel mediator-free in-situ approach for synthesizing CuNi/CN composite photocatalysts. This method entails the synthesis of copper and nickel complexes to fabricate bimetallic Cu and Ni nanoparticles on carbon nitride (CN). These catalysts are deployed for the photocatalytic dehydrogenation of benzyl alcohol, resulting in the generation of hydrogen and benzaldehyde. The CuNi bimetal-loaded CN structure provides ample active sites and demonstrates a low hydrogen reduction overpotential, thereby enhancing both charge separation and surface hydrogen reduction processes. In comparison to pure CN, the composite photocatalyst exhibits significantly improved photocatalytic activity. Notably, the composite 2 % Cu1Ni1/CN photocatalyst achieves a record-high hydrogen production rate of about 80 μmol g-1h−1, representing an impressive increase of approximately 533 times compared to pristine CN. Moreover, the catalyst offers cost-effectiveness, ease of preparation, and reusability, ensuring stable hydrogen production efficiency over multiple cycles. This precious metal-free composite photocatalyst not only facilitates the synthesis of valuable compounds but also promotes sustainable advancements in efficient hydrogen energy generation.