Controlling Selectivity for Efficient Nitrogen Photo‐Fixation Over Hydrogen Evolution using Anthracene‐Containing D–A Conjugated Polymers
Donor-acceptor (D-A) structured organic photocatalysts have garnered considerable attention for artificial NH<sub>3</sub> photosynthesis under ambient conditions. Nevertheless, their N<sub>2</sub> photo-fixation efficiency is constrained by insufficient chemisorption and selectivity towards N<sub>2</sub>. Herein, we rationally designed a series of conjugated polymers with varying donor-to-acceptor molar ratios using anthracene and dibenzothiophene sulfone (BTSO) as electron-donor and electron-acceptor units. The production rate of the nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) increases progressively with higher anthracene content. Notably, AnSO-6, featuring a 1:1 donor-to-acceptor molar ratio, achieves a remarkable NH<sub>3</sub> production rate of 1645.25 µmol g<sup>-1</sup> h<sup>-1</sup> under full-spectrum irradiation without sacrificial agents. This enhancement stems from the superior N<sub>2</sub> chemisorption capability, high electron transfer activity, and efficient charge separation endowed by the unique D-A structure. By contrast, the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) exhibits an inverse trend, indicating the feasibility of tuning HER/NRR selectivity via donor-to-acceptor ratio adjustment. Additionally, the generality of the BTSO-based D-A platform was validated by substituting anthracene with diverse electron donors, demonstrating broad applicability for efficient photocatalytic N<sub>2</sub> fixation. This research establishes a promising approach to boost photocatalytic NH<sub>3</sub> production and offers novel insights into modulating the equilibrium between NRR and HER through precise regulation of the donor-to-acceptor monomer ratio.
Authors
- Jian Gao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0471-7813)
- Mingxin Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5794-9645)
- Yim Cheung
- Lixin Shan
- Xiao Bai
- Yongbo Su
- Bowen Cao
Institutions
- Shenzhen University (CN)
- Lanzhou University of Technology (CN)
- Hong Kong Shue Yan University (CN)
- Lanzhou University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Small
- Published
- 2026-01-23
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202513453
- Primary Topic
- Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00