Covalently Locked Donor–Acceptor Block Copolymer Nanoparticles Enable Efficient, Stable and Reproducible Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

ABSTRACT Organic photocatalysts with tailored properties and unique processability offer a sustainable route to solar hydrogen. To maximize light harvesting and charge generation, donor and acceptor materials are usually physically mixed to form D:A heterojunction nanoparticles (NPs). However, weakly constrained interactions can promote phase segregation, morphological evolution, and limited reproducibility. Here, we introduce an all‐conjugated donor–acceptor block copolymer, PBDB‐T‐ b ‐PYT, in which covalent linkage between PBDB‐T and PYT segments constrains nanoscale donor–acceptor organization and promotes intramolecular charge transfer. Compared with nanoparticles prepared from a physical PBDB‐T:PYT blend, PBDB‐T‐ b ‐PYT nanoparticles exhibit stronger photoluminescence quenching, more persistent charge‐associated transient absorption features, and improved photoelectrochemical charge extraction. As a result, hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) rates exceeding 120 mmol cm −2 g −1 h −1 (>450 µmol h −1 ) are achieved with low Pt loading (<3 wt.%). PBDB‐T‐ b ‐PYT NPs retained 95% of the initial HER rate after 96 h of photocatalysis. Conversely, NPs prepared from physically mixed PBDB‐T and PYT show lower activity and faster deactivation, consistent with morphology‐driven losses. PBDB‐T‐ b ‐PYT also maintains high performance across polymer batches, improving reproducibility. These results establish all‐conjugated donor–acceptor block copolymers as a promising design strategy for combining high activity, operational stability, and reproducibility in organic nanoparticle photocatalysis.

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Journal
Advanced Energy Materials
Published
2026-10-18
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.71708
Primary Topic
Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques
Type
article
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article

Covalently Locked Donor–Acceptor Block Copolymer Nanoparticles Enable Efficient, Stable and Reproducible Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Mateus Bergami, Carlos Moyses Araujo, Márcio T. do N. Varella, Soumi Roy et al.
Advanced Energy Materials
Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques
article

Covalently Locked Donor–Acceptor Block Copolymer Nanoparticles Enable Efficient, Stable and Reproducible Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Mateus Bergami, Carlos Moyses Araujo, Márcio T. do N. Varella, Soumi Roy, Leandro R. Franco, Eva Olsson, Ergang Wang, Alexandre Holmes, Bo Albinsson, Lunjie J. Zeng, Mathis Mortensen Brette, Xiaoman Bi, Rafael Bicudo Ribeiro, Qiaonan Chen, Linnea Lind
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Organic photocatalysts with tailored properties and unique processability offer a sustainable route to solar hydrogen. To maximize light harvesting and charge generation, donor and acceptor materials are usually physically mixed to form D:A heterojunction nanoparticles (NPs). However, weakly constrained interactions can promote phase segregation, morphological evolution, and limited reproducibility. Here, we introduce an all‐conjugated donor–acceptor block copolymer, PBDB‐T‐ b ‐PYT, in which covalent linkage between PBDB‐T and PYT segments constrains nanoscale donor–acceptor organization and promotes intramolecular charge transfer. Compared with nanoparticles prepared from a physical PBDB‐T:PYT blend, PBDB‐T‐ b ‐PYT nanoparticles exhibit stronger photoluminescence quenching, more persistent charge‐associated transient absorption features, and improved photoelectrochemical charge extraction. As a result, hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) rates exceeding 120 mmol cm −2 g −1 h −1 (>450 µmol h −1 ) are achieved with low Pt loading (<3 wt.%). PBDB‐T‐ b ‐PYT NPs retained 95% of the initial HER rate after 96 h of photocatalysis. Conversely, NPs prepared from physically mixed PBDB‐T and PYT show lower activity and faster deactivation, consistent with morphology‐driven losses. PBDB‐T‐ b ‐PYT also maintains high performance across polymer batches, improving reproducibility. These results establish all‐conjugated donor–acceptor block copolymers as a promising design strategy for combining high activity, operational stability, and reproducibility in organic nanoparticle photocatalysis.

Advanced Energy Materials
Uppsala University (SE), Universidade de São Paulo (BR), Zhengzhou University (CN), Karlstad University (SE), Chalmers University of Technology (SE)
Openalex Percentile: Top 34%
Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques
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