Rational design of covalent organic frameworks for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen peroxide production

• Published in: Environmental science. Nano Vol. 9; no. 7; pp. 2464 - 2469
• Main Authors: Chai, Shuming, Chen, Xiaowen, Zhang, Xirui, Fang, Yuanxing, Sprick, Reiner Sebastian, Chen, Xiong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Royal Society of Chemistry 14.07.2022
• Subjects: Backbone; Charge efficiency; Design; Hydrogen peroxide; Metals; Photocatalysis
• ISSN: 2051-8153; 2051-8161
• DOI: 10.1039/d2en00135g

Hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) is an important chemical for environmental applications and also used in large-scale industrial processes. Recent studies have demonstrated photocatalytic production of H 2 O 2 , but the observed production rates are low, making the materials unpractical for applications at scale. Herein, covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have been studied as photocatalysts for H 2 O 2 production. Two related COFs show markedly different performances, which can be explained by the presence of donor-acceptor configurations in the backbone. N 0 -COF has increased charge-separation efficiencies and a better band alignment compared to its nitrogen containing analogue N 3 -COF. The result is that N 0 -COF has a H 2 O 2 production rate of 15.7 μmol h −1 for 10 mg, which is ten times higher compared to N 3 -COF. In this study, both experimental and theoretical studies have been used to understand the improved performance. This study reveals the importance of the backbone design of metal-free materials for advanced photocatalytic applications. Rational design of covalent organic frameworks has been performed for efficient photocatalytic H 2 O 2 production without using any sacrificial agent.