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Lyons RJ, Sprick RS. Processing polymer photocatalysts for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. MATERIALS HORIZONS 2024. [PMID: 38895815 DOI: 10.1039/d4mh00482e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Conjugated materials have emerged as competitive photocatalysts for the production of sustainable hydrogen from water over the last decade. Interest in these polymer photocatalysts stems from the relative ease to tune their electronic properties through molecular engineering, and their potentially low cost. However, most polymer photocatalysts have only been utilised in rudimentary suspension-based photocatalytic reactors, which are not scalable as these systems can suffer from significant optical losses and often require constant agitation to maintain the suspension. Here, we will explore research performed to utilise polymeric photocatalysts in more sophisticated systems, such as films or as nanoparticulate suspensions, which can enhance photocatalytic performance or act as a demonstration of how the polymer can be scaled for real-world applications. We will also discuss how the systems were prepared and consider both the benefits and drawbacks of each system before concluding with an outlook on the field of processable polymer photocatalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Jack Lyons
- Department of Chemistry and Materials Innovation Factory, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L7 3NY, UK
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Wu Z, Yan C, Gao P, She L, Zhang X, Lin Y, Yu X, Liu Y, Sun W, Jiang Y, Yang Y, Gao M, Pan H. Cu-N Synergism Regulation to Enhance Anionic Redox Reversibility and Activity of Li- and Mn-Rich Layered Oxides Cathode. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024:e2401645. [PMID: 38764309 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202401645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2024] [Revised: 04/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024]
Abstract
Anionic redox chemistry enables extraordinary capacity for Li- and Mn-rich layered oxides (LMROs) cathodes. Unfortunately, irreversible surface oxygen evolution evokes the pernicious phase transition, structural deterioration, and severe electrode-electrolyte interface side reaction with element dissolution, resulting in fast capacity and voltage fading of LMROs during cycling and hindering its commercialization. Herein, a redox couple strategy is proposed by utilizing copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) to address the irreversibility of anionic redox. The Cu-N synergistic effect of CuPc could not only inhibit surface oxygen evolution by reducing the peroxide ion O2 2- back to lattice oxygen O2-, but also enhance the reaction activity and reversibility of anionic redox in bulk to achieve a higher capacity and cycling stability. Moreover, the CuPc strategy suppresses the interface side reaction and induces the forming of a uniform and robust LiF-rich cathode electrolyte, interphase (CEI) to significantly eliminate transition metal dissolution. As a result, the CuPc-enhanced LMRO cathode shows superb cycling performance with a capacity retention of 95.0% after 500 long-term cycles. This study sheds light on the great effect of N-based redox couple to regulate anionic redox behavior and promote the development of high energy density and high stability LMROs cathode.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhijun Wu
- Institute of Science and Technology for New Energy, Xi'an Technological University, Xi'an, 710021, China
| | - Chenhui Yan
- Institute of Science and Technology for New Energy, Xi'an Technological University, Xi'an, 710021, China
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Panyu Gao
- Department of Materials Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Liaona She
- Institute of Science and Technology for New Energy, Xi'an Technological University, Xi'an, 710021, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Yue Lin
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Xuebin Yu
- Department of Materials Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Yongfeng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Wenping Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Yinzhu Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Yaxiong Yang
- Institute of Science and Technology for New Energy, Xi'an Technological University, Xi'an, 710021, China
| | - Mingxia Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Hongge Pan
- Institute of Science and Technology for New Energy, Xi'an Technological University, Xi'an, 710021, China
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
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Han C, Ma J, Ai X, Shi F, Zhang C, Hu D, Jiang JX. Rational design of triazine-based conjugated polymers with enhanced charge separation ability for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. J Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 659:984-992. [PMID: 38219316 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.01.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
Triazine-based conjugated polymers (TCPs) are promising organic catalysts for green H2 production, since their photocatalytic performance can be easily regulated via appropriate molecular design. However, apart from weak absorption of visible light, weak charge separation and transport abilities also considerably restrict the photocatalytic performance of TCPs. Herein, we report two novel TCP photocatalysts with donor-acceptor (D-A) and donor-π-acceptor (D-π-A) structures using dibenzo[g,p]chrysene (Dc), thiophene (T), and 2,4,6-triphenyl-1,3,5-triazine (Tz) as the donor, π-spacer, and acceptor, respectively. Compared to Dc-Tz with a D-A structure, Dc-T-Tz exhibits a broader light absorption edge and more efficient charge separation and transmission due to its D-π-A structure and strong dipole effect. These properties enable Dc-T-Tz to display a prominent H2 production rate of 45.13 mmol h-1 g-1 under ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) light (λ > 300 nm). Therefore, Dc-T-Tz represents state-of-the-art TCP photocatalysts to date.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changzhi Han
- Key Laboratory for Macromolecular Science of Shaanxi Province, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, PR China
| | - Jiaxin Ma
- Key Laboratory for Macromolecular Science of Shaanxi Province, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, PR China
| | - Xuan Ai
- Key Laboratory for Macromolecular Science of Shaanxi Province, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, PR China
| | - Feng Shi
- Key Laboratory for Macromolecular Science of Shaanxi Province, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, PR China
| | - Chong Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Macromolecular Science of Shaanxi Province, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, PR China.
| | - Daodao Hu
- Key Laboratory for Macromolecular Science of Shaanxi Province, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, PR China.
| | - Jia-Xing Jiang
- Key Laboratory for Macromolecular Science of Shaanxi Province, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, PR China; Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Chemical Materials and Devices (Ministry of Education), School of Optoelectronic Materials & Technology, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, PR China.
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Hou Y, Zhou P, Liu F, Lu Y, Tan H, Li Z, Tong M, Ni J. Efficient Photosynthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide by Cyano-Containing Covalent Organic Frameworks from Water, Air and Sunlight. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202318562. [PMID: 38151472 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202318562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
The insufficient exciton (e- -h+ pair) separation/transfer and sluggish two-electron water oxidation are two main factors limiting the H2 O2 photosynthetic efficiency of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) photocatalysts. Herein, we present an alternative strategy to simultaneously facilitate exciton separation/transfer and reduce the energy barrier of two-electron water oxidation in COFs via a dicyano functionalization. The in situ characterization and theoretical calculations reveal that the dicyano functionalization improves the amount of charge transfer channels between donor and acceptor units from two in COF-0CN without cyano functionalization to three in COF-1CN with mono-cyano functionalization and four in COF-2CN with dicyano functionalization, leading to the highest separation/transfer efficiency in COF-2CN. More importantly, the dicyano group activates the neighbouring C atom to produce the key *OH intermediate for effectively reducing the energy barrier of rate-determining two-electron water oxidation in H2 O2 photosynthesis. The simultaneously enhanced exciton separation/transfer and two-electron water oxidation in COF-2CN result in high H2 O2 yield (1601 μmol g-1 h-1 ) from water and oxygen without using sacrificial reagent under visible-light irradiation. COF-2CN can effectively yield H2 O2 in water with wide pH range, in different real water samples, in scaled-up reactor under natural sunlight irradiation, and in continuous-flow reactor for consecutively producing H2 O2 solution for water decontamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanghui Hou
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
- The Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences (Ministry of Education), Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of All Material Fluxes in River Ecosystems, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
| | - Peng Zhou
- School of Environment and Energy, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, P. R. China
| | - Fuyang Liu
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
- The Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences (Ministry of Education), Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of All Material Fluxes in River Ecosystems, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
| | - Yanyu Lu
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
- The Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences (Ministry of Education), Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of All Material Fluxes in River Ecosystems, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
| | - Hao Tan
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
| | - Zhengmao Li
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
- The Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences (Ministry of Education), Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of All Material Fluxes in River Ecosystems, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
| | - Meiping Tong
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
- The Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences (Ministry of Education), Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of All Material Fluxes in River Ecosystems, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
| | - Jinren Ni
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
- The Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences (Ministry of Education), Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of All Material Fluxes in River Ecosystems, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
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Qin N, Mao A, Li L, Lin C, Zhai L, Liu J, Zou J, Cui CX, Mi L. Rational Design of Vinylene-Linked Covalent Organic Frameworks for Modulating Photocatalytic H 2 Evolution. CHEMSUSCHEM 2023; 16:e202300872. [PMID: 37466030 DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202300872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Vinylene-linked covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have attracted enormous attention for photocatalytic H2 evolution from water because of their fully conjugated structures, high chemical stabilities, and enhanced charge-carrier mobilities. In this work, two novel vinylene-linked COFs with tuned cyano contents were successfully synthesized and then employed as photocatalysts for H2 generation. Notably, the photocatalytic H2 production rate of the COF with the higher cyano content reached 73 μmol h-1 under visible light irradiation, which is 2.4 times higher than that with the lower content (30 μmol h-1 ). Both the experimental and computational results demonstrated that the rational design incorporating cyano groups into COF skeletons could precisely tune the corresponding energy levels, expand the visible-light absorption, and improve the photoinduced charge separation. This work not only provides a simple method for modulating the photocatalytic activities of COFs at the molecular level, but also affords interesting insights into the relationship between their structures and photocatalytic performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Qin
- Henan Key Laboratory of Functional Salt Materials, Center for Advanced Materials Research, Zhongyuan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450007, P. R. China
| | - Aojie Mao
- Henan Key Laboratory of Functional Salt Materials, Center for Advanced Materials Research, Zhongyuan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450007, P. R. China
| | - Linqiang Li
- Henan Key Laboratory of Functional Salt Materials, Center for Advanced Materials Research, Zhongyuan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450007, P. R. China
| | - Chao Lin
- Henan Key Laboratory of Functional Salt Materials, Center for Advanced Materials Research, Zhongyuan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450007, P. R. China
| | - Lipeng Zhai
- Henan Key Laboratory of Functional Salt Materials, Center for Advanced Materials Research, Zhongyuan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450007, P. R. China
| | - Jing Liu
- Henan Key Laboratory of Functional Salt Materials, Center for Advanced Materials Research, Zhongyuan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450007, P. R. China
| | - Junhua Zou
- Institute of Energy Research, Jiangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanchang, 330029, P.R. China
| | - Cheng-Xing Cui
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Xinxiang, 453003, P. R. China
| | - Liwei Mi
- Henan Key Laboratory of Functional Salt Materials, Center for Advanced Materials Research, Zhongyuan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450007, P. R. China
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McQueen E, Bai Y, Sprick RS. Impact of Interfaces, and Nanostructure on the Performance of Conjugated Polymer Photocatalysts for Hydrogen Production from Water. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 12:4299. [PMID: 36500922 PMCID: PMC9739915 DOI: 10.3390/nano12234299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The direct conversion of sunlight into hydrogen through water splitting, and by converting carbon dioxide into useful chemical building blocks and fuels, has been an active area of research since early reports in the 1970s. Most of the semiconductors that drive these photocatalytic processes have been inorganic semiconductors, but since the first report of carbon nitride organic semiconductors have also been considered. Conjugated materials have been relatively extensively studied as photocatalysts for solar fuels generation over the last 5 years due to the synthetic control over composition and properties. The understanding of materials' properties, its impact on performance and underlying factors is still in its infancy. Here, we focus on the impact of interfaces, and nanostructure on fundamental processes which significantly contribute to performance in these organic photocatalysts. In particular, we focus on presenting explicit examples in understanding the interface of polymer photocatalysts with water and how it affects performance. Wetting has been shown to be a clear factor and we present strategies for increased wettability in conjugated polymer photocatalysts through modifications of the material. Furthermore, the limited exciton diffusion length in organic polymers has also been identified to affect the performance of these materials. Addressing this, we also discuss how increased internal and external surface areas increase the activity of organic polymer photocatalysts for hydrogen production from water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewan McQueen
- Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, University of Strathclyde, Thomas Graham Building, 295 Cathedral Street, Glasgow G1 1XL, UK
| | - Yang Bai
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, Agency for Science Technology and Research, #08-03, 2 Fusionopolis Way, Innovis, Singapore 138634, Singapore
| | - Reiner Sebastian Sprick
- Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, University of Strathclyde, Thomas Graham Building, 295 Cathedral Street, Glasgow G1 1XL, UK
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