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Updated: Jun 24, 2025

Developing Photosensitizer-Cobaloxime Hybrids for Solar-Driven H2 Production in Aqueous Aerobic Conditions
Published on: October 5, 2019
Regulating superstructures of conjugated polymers towards enhanced and stable photocatalytic hydrogen evolution via
Xinyi Liu1, Jiejie Xu1, Xiaohong Su2
1Key Laboratory of Advanced Transducers and Intelligent Control System, Ministry of Education and Shanxi Province, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, PR China.
Abstract:
The modulation of microstructures in conjugated polymers represents a viable strategy for enhancing photocatalytic efficiency, albeit hampered by complex processing techniques. Here, we present an uncomplicated, template-free method to synthesize polymeric photocatalysts, namely BCN(x)@PPy, featuring a hollow nanotube-nanocluster core-shell superstructure. This configuration is realized through intramolecular covalent crosslinking and synergistic intermolecular donor-acceptor (D-A) interactions between phenylene pyrene (PPy, D) nanotubes and poly([1,1'-biphenyl]-3-carbonitrile) (PBCN, A) nanoclusters. Interestingly, the optimized BCN2@PPy composite demonstrates remarkably enhanced performance for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, with an efficiency of 14.7-fold higher than that of unmodified PPy nanotubes. Experimental and density functional theory calculations revealed that BCN(x)@PPy composites are conducive to shortening photogenerated exciton migration, facilitating charge separation and transfer, reducing nanoclusters aggregation or re-stacking, and providing sufficient catalytically active sites, all contributing to the heightened efficiency in photocatalysis. These insights underscore the potential for precise molecular adjustments in conjugated polymers, advancing artificial photosynthesis.
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