Three‐Motif Molecular Junction with Long‐Lived Charge Carriers for Efficient Overall Photosynthesis of H <sub>2</sub> O <sub>2</sub>

Abstract Photosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) from air and water has emerged as one of promising alternative strategies to the conventional anthraquinone process. Nevertheless, its practical development is impeded by limited charge separation efficiency and rapid charge‐carrier recombination. In this study, a covalently connected molecular junction is synthesized via sequential Schiff and Knoevenagel polymerization reactions for visible‐light‐driven and sacrificial‐agent‐free H 2 O 2 synthesis. The molecular junction effectively promotes charge separation and enhances photocatalytic efficiency. Femtosecond transient absorption (fs‐TAS) spectra reveals that construction of the three‐motif molecular junction dramatically extends carrier lifetimes up to 12 ns, which is about 100 times longer than the two‐motif junction. As expected, the three‐motif molecular junction (TAS 4 ) exhibits an impressive photocatalytic H 2 O 2 production rate of 4302 µmol g −1 h −1 under AM 1.5G irradiation without any sacrificial agent in air atmosphere, which is 2.4 and 2 times higher than that of the two‐motif junctions (TA and TS). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) confirm that H 2 O 2 production on three‐motif molecular junction TAS 4 occurs via a stepwise one‐electron oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). This work demonstrates the potential of molecular junction for efficient solar‐driven H 2 O 2 production.

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Publication Details

Journal
Angewandte Chemie
Published
2025-12-12
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.202523341
Primary Topic
TiO2 Photocatalysis and Solar Cells
Type
article
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article

Three‐Motif Molecular Junction with Long‐Lived Charge Carriers for Efficient Overall Photosynthesis of H 2 O 2

Angewandte Chemie
TiO2 Photocatalysis and Solar Cells
article

Three‐Motif Molecular Junction with Long‐Lived Charge Carriers for Efficient Overall Photosynthesis of H 2 O 2

article en

Abstract

Abstract Photosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) from air and water has emerged as one of promising alternative strategies to the conventional anthraquinone process. Nevertheless, its practical development is impeded by limited charge separation efficiency and rapid charge‐carrier recombination. In this study, a covalently connected molecular junction is synthesized via sequential Schiff and Knoevenagel polymerization reactions for visible‐light‐driven and sacrificial‐agent‐free H 2 O 2 synthesis. The molecular junction effectively promotes charge separation and enhances photocatalytic efficiency. Femtosecond transient absorption (fs‐TAS) spectra reveals that construction of the three‐motif molecular junction dramatically extends carrier lifetimes up to 12 ns, which is about 100 times longer than the two‐motif junction. As expected, the three‐motif molecular junction (TAS 4 ) exhibits an impressive photocatalytic H 2 O 2 production rate of 4302 µmol g −1 h −1 under AM 1.5G irradiation without any sacrificial agent in air atmosphere, which is 2.4 and 2 times higher than that of the two‐motif junctions (TA and TS). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) confirm that H 2 O 2 production on three‐motif molecular junction TAS 4 occurs via a stepwise one‐electron oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). This work demonstrates the potential of molecular junction for efficient solar‐driven H 2 O 2 production.

Angewandte ChemieVol. 138(5)
Wuhan University of Technology (CN), China University of Geosciences (CN)
Clean water and sanitation
Openalex Percentile: Top 55%
TiO2 Photocatalysis and Solar Cells
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