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Metal-free Synthesis of Pyridyl Conjugated Microporous Polymers for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

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Abstract

Developing efficient, stable and sustainable photocatalysts for water splitting is one of the most significant methods for generating hydrogen. Conjugated microporous polymers, as a new type of organic semiconductor photocatalyst, have adjustable bandgaps and high specific surface areas, and can be synthesized using diverse methods. In this work, we report the design and synthesis of a series of pyridyl conjugated microporous polymers (PCMPs) utilizing polycondensation of aromatic aldehydes and aromatic ketones in the presence of ammonium acetate. PCMPs with different chemical structures were synthesized via adjusting monomers with different geometries and contents of nitrogen element, which could adjust the bandgap and photocatalytic performance. Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate (HER) up to 1198.9 µmol·h−1·g−1 was achieved on the optimized polymer with a specific surface area of 312 m2·g−1 under UV-Vis light irradiation (λ>320 nm). This metal-free synthetic method provides a new avenue to preparing an efficient photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 52073046, 51873036 and 51673039), the Chang Jiang Scholars Program (No. Q2019152), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. 2232019A3-01), the Shanghai Shuguang Program (No. 19SG28), the Shanghai Natural Science Foundation (No. 19D3859), the Shanghai Pujiang Talent Program (No. 20PJ1400600) and the International Joint Laboratory for Advanced Fiber and Low-Dimension Materials (No. 18520750400).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China

    Qin-Ruo Zeng, Zhong-Hua Cheng, Chen Yang, Yan He, Nan Meng & Yao-Zu Liao

  2. School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, BS8 1TS, Bristol, UK

    Charl F. J. Faul

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  1. Qin-Ruo Zeng
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  2. Zhong-Hua Cheng
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Correspondence to Yao-Zu Liao.

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Zeng, QR., Cheng, ZH., Yang, C. et al. Metal-free Synthesis of Pyridyl Conjugated Microporous Polymers for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution. Chin J Polym Sci 39, 1004–1012 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-021-2574-3

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