Self‐Floating Photocatalytic System for Highly Efficient Hydrogen Peroxide Production and Organic Synthesis on Carbon Dots Decorated Conjugated Microporous Polymer
Xueqing Li, Guping Zhang, Najun Li, Qingfeng Xu, Hua Li, Jianmei Lu, Dongyun Chen
Abstract
Abstract Photocatalytic oxygen (O 2 ) reduction to hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) is considered to be a promising method for energy storage. However, it suffers from the rapid recombination of carriers, the limited solubility and slow diffusion of O 2 , and the self‐decomposition of H 2 O 2 in traditional diphase systems. Here, a self‐floating carbon dots/conjugated microporous polymer (CDs/CMP) photocatalytic system is established for H 2 O 2 production and organic synthesis. Due to the D–π–A structure, porous structure, and hydrophobicity, CMP induced the intramolecular charge transfer, exposed abundant reaction sites, and enhanced O 2 adsorption. CDs act as “bridges” for electron transmission and regulate the surface hydrophobicity of CMP, further improving charge transfer and optimizing the reaction interface. CDs/CMP system exhibits a high H 2 O 2 production of 8542.6 µmol g −1 h −1 and concurrent furoic acid production at 2.22 m m h −1 . This H 2 O 2 production rate is ≈90% higher than that in the diphase system, exceeding all previously reported photocatalysts in triphase systems. Notably, the CDs/CMP system achieves the relative separation of the photocatalysts and H 2 O 2 , suppressing the generated H 2 O 2 self‐decomposition. Theoretical calculations and in situ characterizations reveal the mechanism of H 2 O 2 and furoic acid evolution. This self‐floating system provides insights into exploring the application of metal‐free photocatalysts in heterogeneous reactions.