Regulating Substituents in Coplanar 2D Ladder Polymers for Enhanced Photocatalytic Production of H₂O₂

Abstract

Photocatalytic hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production using conjugated polymers as photocatalysts is a green and sustainable approach to synthesizing H2O2. Nevertheless, the efficiency is still hindered by the inefficient charge separation and transfer dynamics. Herein, a series of coplanar 2D ladder polymers with different substituents were reported as metal-free photocatalysts for artificial photosynthesis of H2O2. Detailed experimental and theoretical investigations reveal that the coplanar 2D skeleton and strong electron-withdrawing substituents could profoundly facilitate charge separation and transfer. Possessing these notable merits, the cyano-substituted polymer (PAE-CN) exhibits remarkable photocatalytic performance on H2O2 evolution. This study contributes to the development of effective polymer photocatalysts tailored for potential applications in artificial photosynthesis.