Hydrogen Radical Mediated Concerted Electron−Proton Transfer in 1D Sulfone‐based Covalent Organic Framework for Boosting Photosynthesis of H <sub>2</sub> O <sub>2</sub>
Solar-driven photocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction using covalent organic frameworks (COFs) offers a promising approach for sustainable hydrogen peroxide (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>) production. Despite their advantages, the reported COFs-based photocatalysts suffer insufficient photocatalytic H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> efficiency due to the mismatched electron-proton dynamics. Herein, we report three one-dimensional (1D) COF photocatalysts for efficient H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> production via the hydrogen radical (H•) mediated concerted electron-proton transfer (CEPT) process. The DOTh-COF which features dibenzo[b,d]thiophene sulfone (DOTh) moieties in the 1D skeleton edges achieves a high H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> production rate of 10.87 mmol g<sup>-1</sup> h<sup>-1</sup> and an apparent quantum efficiency of 13.5% at 420 nm in a biphasic water/benzyl alcohol system. The fs-TAS and in-situ EPR analyses demonstrate the DOTh moieties facilitate the charge separation, proton affinity, and exciton dissociation, enabling enhanced H• production. Mechanistic studies reveal that the H• reacts with O<sub>2</sub> with high rate through both one-step and two-step 2e<sup>-</sup> pathways, thereby achieving efficient photosynthesis of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>. This work provides an effective design strategy for COFs-based photocatalysts and highlights the significance of H• mediated CEPT process in artificial photosynthesis.
Authors
- Kai Chi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3396-8061)
- Hao Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2300-1404)
- Yan Jun Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4216-2150)
- Yunqi Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5521-2316)
- Rong Ma (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6496-3801)
Institutions
- Fudan University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Angewandte Chemie International Edition
- Published
- 2025-09-09
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202516657
- Citations
- 5
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.82