Donor-acceptor porous conjugated polymers for photocatalytic hydrogen production: The importance of acceptor comonomer

Lianwei Li, Wai Yip Lo, Zhengxu Cai, Na Zhang, Luping Yu*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

131 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Porous conjugated polymer (PCP) is a new kind of photocatalyst for photocatalytic hydrogen production (PHP). Here, we report the importance of the electronic properties of acceptor comonomer in determining the reactivity of 4,8-di(thiophen-2-yl)benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene (DBD)-based PCP photocatalyst for PHP application. It was found that the incorporation of nitrogen-containing ligand acceptor monomers into PCP network is an effective strategy to enhance the PHP activity. These moderately electron-deficient comonomers enhanced the dipole polarization effect. These PCPs exhibit appropriate solid-state morphology for charge transport. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies demonstrate that these PCP materials are semicrystalline materials. A strong correlation between the crystalline property and PHP activity is observed. The replacement of nitrogen-containing ligand acceptors with ligand-free strong acceptors is proved to be detrimental to the PHP process, indicating the proper choice in the electronic properties of monomer pair is important for achieving high photoactivity.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)6903-6909
Number of pages7
JournalMacromolecules
Volume49
Issue number18
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 27 Sept 2016
Externally publishedYes

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Donor-acceptor porous conjugated polymers for photocatalytic hydrogen production: The importance of acceptor comonomer'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this