Constructing efficient polyimide(PI)/Ag aerogel photocatalyst by ethanol supercritical drying technique for hydrogen evolution

•PI/Ag aerogel photocatalysts were designed by the sol-gel method and ethanol supercritical drying technique, which can induce the formation of AgC bonds and Ag nanoparticles in PI/Ag aerogels.•The average rate of H2 production is 166.1 μmol h−1 g−1 for PI/Ag-1 aerogel, which is ca. 8 times as much as that of PI aerogel.•Photocatalytic activity for H2 production over PI/Ag aerogel is improved much due to the enhanced carrier mobility efficiency, optical absorption and large specific area of the photocatalyst.