Constructing N-Containing Poly(p-Phenylene) (PPP) Films Through A Cathodic-Dehalogenation Polymerization Method

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry

Background:

• Developing novel N-containing poly(p-phenylene) (PPP) films is crucial for new material properties.
• Replacing carbon atoms with nitrogen in PPP structures can lead to unique polymer characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize N-containing PPP films using an electrochemical-dehalogenation polymerization strategy.
• To investigate the film-forming capabilities of these polymers on various conductive substrates.
• To evaluate the performance of the synthesized films in alkaline hydrogen evolution reactions.

Main Methods:

• Electrochemical-dehalogenation polymerization under constant potentials.
• Utilized 2,5-diiodopyridine (DIPy) and 2,5-dibromopyrazine (DBPz) as starting materials.
• In situ film formation on silicon, gold, ITO, and nickel substrates.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized two N-containing PPP films, CityU-23 (polypyridine) and CityU-24 (polypyrazine).
• Demonstrated in situ film formation on diverse conductive substrates, suitable for device fabrication.
• Achieved good performance in alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction with CityU-23 and CityU-24, showing specific overpotentials and Tafel slopes.

Conclusions:

• N-containing PPP films can be effectively synthesized via electrochemical polymerization.
• The synthesized polymers exhibit excellent film-forming properties on various conductive surfaces.
• These novel N-containing PPP films demonstrate significant potential for applications in hydrogen evolution reactions.