Efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution: Linkage units engineering in triazine-based conjugated porous polymers

Shengling Zhang; Fei Zhao; Ghulam Yasin; YunYun Dong; Jinsheng Zhao; Yue Guo; Panagiotis Tsiakaras; Jie Zhao

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2023.01.066

Efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution: Linkage units engineering in triazine-based conjugated porous polymers

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2023 May:637:41-54. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.01.066. Epub 2023 Jan 18.

Authors

Shengling Zhang¹, Fei Zhao², Ghulam Yasin³, YunYun Dong¹, Jinsheng Zhao⁴, Yue Guo⁵, Panagiotis Tsiakaras⁶, Jie Zhao⁷

Affiliations

¹ College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252059, China.
² College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Taishan University, Taian 271000, China.
³ Institute for Advanced Studies, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.
⁴ College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252059, China. Electronic address: j.s.zhao@163.com.
⁵ School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
⁶ Laboratory of Alternative Energy Conversion Systems Department of Mechanical Engineering School of Engineering, University of Thessaly 1 Sekeri Str., Pedion Areos 38834 Greece. Electronic address: tsiak@uth.gr.
⁷ Institute for Advanced Studies, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China. Electronic address: zhaojienju@163.com.

PMID: 36682117
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.01.066

Abstract

Conjugated porous polymers (CPPs) have been widely reported as promising photocatalysts. However, the realization of powerful photocatalytic hydrogen production performance still benefits from the rational design of molecular frameworks and the appropriate choice of building monomers. Herein, we synthesized two novel conjugated porous polymers (CPPs) by copolymerizing pyrene and 1,3,5-triazine building blocks. It is found that minor structural changes in the peripheral groups of the triazine units can greatly affect the photocatalytic activity of the polymers. Compared with the phenyl-linkage unit, the thiophene-linkage unit can give CPP a wider absorption range of visible light, a narrower band gap, a higher transmission and separation efficiency of photo-generated carriers (electrons/holes), and a better interface contact with the photocatalytic reaction solution. The catalyst containing thiophene-triazine (ThPy-CPP) has an efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate of 21.65 and 16.69 mmol g^-1h^-1 under full-arc spectrum and visible light without the addition of a Pt co-catalyst, respectively, much better than the one containing phenyl-triazine (PhPy-CPP, only 5.73 and 3.48 mmol g^-1h^-1). This study provides a promising direction to design and construct highly efficient, cost-effective CPP-based photocatalysts, for exploring the application of noble metal-free catalysts in photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.

Keywords: Conjugated porous polymers; Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution; Pyrene; Triazine.