Phenanthrenequinone‐Modified Conjugated Polymer Enabling Photocatalytic H2O2 Generation via Efficient O2− Conversion
Xinyu Sun, Tingyu Yang, Yuming Dong, Rong Ji, Hui Zhao, Jiawei Zhang, Yongfa ZhuAbstract
The photocatalytic O2 reduction reaction offers a promising approach to synthesizing H2O2. Nevertheless, the low conversion efficiency of O2− constrains the efficiency of photocatalytic H2O2 production. This is because O2 can readily obtain electrons to generate O2−, but it is challenging to reacquire electrons after generating O2−. Accordingly, this study proposes the improvement of the conversion efficiency of O2− through the directional enrichment of photogenerated charges at sites of O2− reduction and stabilization of O2−. This study introduces a phenanthrenequinone group with adjacent carbonyl groups as the O2− reduction reaction site. The directional enrichment of photogenerated charges at the O2− reduction site enhances the probability of O2− obtaining electrons. Concurrently, the special adsorption configuration enhances the adsorption, and stabilizes·O2− on the catalyst surface, accelerating the conversion of O2− to H2O2 and achieving an H2O2 generation rate of 3400 µmol g−1 h−1. This work presents an innovative tactic regarding the efficient reduction of O2− to H2O2, which informs the structural design of advanced photocatalytic systems for the production of H2O2.