A Pyrolysis‐Free Covalent Organic Polymer for Oxygen Reduction

• Published in: Angewandte Chemie International Edition Vol. 57; no. 38; pp. 12567 - 12572
• Main Authors: Guo, Jianing, Lin, Chun‐Yu, Xia, Zhenhai, Xiang, Zhonghua
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 17.09.2018
• Edition: International ed. in English
• Subjects: Chemical reduction; Conductivity; Covalence; covalent organic frameworks; Electrical conductivity; Electrical resistivity; electrocatalysis; Electrocatalysts; Fine structure; graphene; Hybridization; Metal-organic frameworks; Oxygen; oxygen reduction reaction; Oxygen reduction reactions; Polymers; Pyrolysis; Ultrastructure; XANES; covalent organic frameworks; oxygen reduction reaction; XANES; electrocatalysis; graphene
• ISSN: 1433-7851; 1521-3773
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.201808226

Highly efficient electrocatalysts derived from metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs) for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) have been developed. However, the subsequent pyrolysis is often needed owing to their poor intrinsic electrical conductivity, leading to undesirable structure changes and destruction of the original fine structure. Now, hybrid electrocatalysts were formed by self‐assembling pristine covalent organic polymer (COP) with reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The electrical conductivity of the hybridized COP/rGO materials is increased by more than seven orders of magnitude (from 3.06×10−9 to 2.56×10−1 S m−1) compared with pure COPs. The ORR activities of the hybrid are enhanced significantly by the synergetic effect between highly active COP and highly conductive rGO. This COP/rGO hybrid catalyst exhibited a remarkable positive half‐wave (150 mV). The heat is off: The self‐assembly of pyrolysis‐free covalent organic polymers having a well‐defined structure with conductive polymers is presented. This provides a way to precisely control the active sites at the atomic level for electrocatalysts.