Double Hypercrosslinked Porous Organic Polymer-Derived Electrocatalysts for a Water Splitting Device
Dong Won Kang, Minki Jun, Jun Kim, Jun Kim, Heesu Yang, Taehyun Kwon, Jinwhan Joo, Hyojin Kim, Min‐Jung Kang, Jin Young Kim, Jin Young Kim, Kwangyeol Lee, Chang Seop Hong
Abstract
Water electrolysis shows great promise as a viable pathway for the scalable production of high-purity hydrogen, a clean and renewable energy source. Despite being extensively developed for water splitting, scalable electrocatalysts that can balance catalytic activity and cost-effectiveness continue to be in great demand. Herein, we report a low Pt content electrocatalyst based on a N-doped carbon matrix derived from a hypercrosslinked porous organic polymer (HCP). The HCP was prepared through double Friedel–Crafts reactions with improved porosity for the first time. After Pt metallization and carbonization, a scalable electrocatalyst was obtained without other capping and reducing agents. The prepared catalyst exhibited top-tier performances in catalytic activity and durability in hydrogen evolution reaction when compared to previously reported metal–organic framework- and covalent organic framework-based catalysts. In addition, a water splitting cell using a porous material was demonstrated for the first time. This work provides insight into the design of a scalable electrocatalyst for the generation of hydrogen from water electrolysis.