Modulating N‐Heterocyclic Microenvironment in <i>β</i> ‐Ketoenamine Covalent Organic Frameworks to Boost Overall Photosynthesis of H <sub>2</sub> O <sub>2</sub>

Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs) have emerged as promising platforms for photocatalytic synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>) due to their tunable chemical compositions and efficient catalytic functionalities. Inspired by the role of the microenvironment in enzyme catalysis, this study introduces various N-heterocyclic species into β-ketoenamine COFs (N<sub>x</sub>-COFs, where N<sub>x</sub> represents the number of nitrogen atoms in the N-heterocycle) to regulate the microenvironment around catalytic sites on acceptor-donor-acceptor (A-D-A) COFs foroverall H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> photosynthesis in pure water. The N<sub>x</sub>-COFs exhibit distinct H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> photosynthetic rates following the number of nitrogen atoms sequence of N<sub>3</sub>-COF > N<sub>2</sub>-COF > N<sub>1</sub>-COF > N<sub>0</sub>-COF, with N<sub>3</sub>-COF with triazine structure showing the highest H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> generation rate (4881 µmol h<sup>-1</sup> g<sup>-1</sup>) and the decent solar-to-chemical conversion (SCC) efficiency (0.413%), surpassing many existing COF-based catalysts. In situ characterization and theoretical calculations support the experimental results, revealing that N-heterocyclic species promote the photosynthesis of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> through both an indirect stepwise single-electron oxygen reduction reaction (1e<sup>-</sup> ORR) mechanism and a direct two-electron water oxidation (2e<sup>-</sup> WOR) pathway. This study advances the design paradigm of photocatalysts by modulating the microenvironment within A-D-A COFs, paving the way for the development of more efficient and robust photocatalytic systems for the overall photosynthesis of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>.

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Publication Details

Journal
Small
Published
2025-02-28
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202500674
Citations
37
Primary Topic
Covalent Organic Framework Applications
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
19.16

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article

Modulating N‐Heterocyclic Microenvironment in β ‐Ketoenamine Covalent Organic Frameworks to Boost Overall Photosynthesis of H 2 O 2

Fangyuan Kang, Yuehan Zhao, Youting Wu, Yangpeng Zhang et al.
37 citations
Small
Covalent Organic Framework Applications
19.16
article

Modulating N‐Heterocyclic Microenvironment in β ‐Ketoenamine Covalent Organic Frameworks to Boost Overall Photosynthesis of H 2 O 2

Fangyuan Kang, Yuehan Zhao, Youting Wu, Yangpeng Zhang, Hailing Ma, Yang Liu, Zhonghua Li, Qichun Zhang, Xiaoli Fan, Yue Gao
article en
37 citations

Abstract

Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs) have emerged as promising platforms for photocatalytic synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>) due to their tunable chemical compositions and efficient catalytic functionalities. Inspired by the role of the microenvironment in enzyme catalysis, this study introduces various N-heterocyclic species into β-ketoenamine COFs (N<sub>x</sub>-COFs, where N<sub>x</sub> represents the number of nitrogen atoms in the N-heterocycle) to regulate the microenvironment around catalytic sites on acceptor-donor-acceptor (A-D-A) COFs foroverall H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> photosynthesis in pure water. The N<sub>x</sub>-COFs exhibit distinct H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> photosynthetic rates following the number of nitrogen atoms sequence of N<sub>3</sub>-COF > N<sub>2</sub>-COF > N<sub>1</sub>-COF > N<sub>0</sub>-COF, with N<sub>3</sub>-COF with triazine structure showing the highest H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> generation rate (4881 µmol h<sup>-1</sup> g<sup>-1</sup>) and the decent solar-to-chemical conversion (SCC) efficiency (0.413%), surpassing many existing COF-based catalysts. In situ characterization and theoretical calculations support the experimental results, revealing that N-heterocyclic species promote the photosynthesis of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> through both an indirect stepwise single-electron oxygen reduction reaction (1e<sup>-</sup> ORR) mechanism and a direct two-electron water oxidation (2e<sup>-</sup> WOR) pathway. This study advances the design paradigm of photocatalysts by modulating the microenvironment within A-D-A COFs, paving the way for the development of more efficient and robust photocatalytic systems for the overall photosynthesis of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>.

SmallVol. 21(13)
City University of Hong Kong (HK), Harbin Institute of Technology (CN)
City University of Hong Kong, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Innovation and Technology Fund, State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials
Openalex Percentile: Top 0%
Covalent Organic Framework Applications
19.16
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