Heptazine‐Based D–A Polymers for Photocatalytic 2,4‐Dichlorophenol Degradation via Enhanced Exciton Dissociation
The exciton binding energy ( E b ) is recognized as a pivotal parameter governing charge separation in polymeric photocatalysts. Reducing E b in polymers enhances carrier generation, thereby boosting photocatalytic activity. Rationally constructing donor–acceptor (D–A) architectures in heptazine‐based polymers offers an effective strategy to overcome intrinsic excitonic limitations. In this work, CN x ( x = 0.015, 0.025, 0.05) materials with intramolecular D–A configurations were developed by integrating electron‐donating units with heptazine acceptor motifs. The optimized material CN 0.025 exhibits a 29% reduction in E b (97 → 69 meV) and extended visible‐light absorption, attributable to enhanced π‐conjugation and modulated electronic structures. Remarkably, under visible‐light irradiation, CN 0.025 achieves 97.7% degradation of 2,4‐dichlorophenol (10 ppm) within 50 min. Moreover, CN x exhibits a 29.8‐fold higher CO yield than pure g‐C 3 N 4 in photocatalytic CO 2 reduction. Electrochemical photocurrent measurements reveal a remarkable enhancement in the photocurrent response of CN 0.025 relative to g‐C 3 N 4 , which suggests more efficient exciton dissociation and increased carrier availability at the catalytic surface for subsequent redox reactions. This work establishes a paradigm for exciton dissociation in polymeric photocatalysts through engineered D–A nanoarchitectures.
Authors
- Xinyu Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1098-5670)
- Songlin Lu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1440-3938)
- Huaqiao Tan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5952-5077)
- Keyu Cui (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6163-7801)
- Ye Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7376-6547)
- Jing Luo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9077-1807)
- Chunbo Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7924-0100)
Institutions
- Jilin Normal University (CN)
- Northeast Normal University (CN)
- Quzhou College of Technology (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Solar RRL
- Published
- 2025-11-29
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/solr.202500677
- Primary Topic
- Covalent Organic Framework Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- People's Government of Jilin Province