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Photochemical Oxidative Growth of Iridium Oxide Nanoparticles on CdSe@CdS Nanorods
Published on: February 11, 2016
Persistent semiquinone radicals enable efficient near-infrared-driven H2O2 photosynthesis.
Shuai Dou1,2, Yaning Zhang1,2, Jing Xu3
1School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China.
Nature Communications
|March 2, 2026
Summary
This study introduces a novel polydopamine-loaded porphyrin photocatalyst that efficiently uses near-infrared light for sustainable hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production. This advancement significantly boosts solar-to-chemical conversion efficiency for H2O2 synthesis.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Photocatalysis
- Green Chemistry
Background:
- Sustainable hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production via photocatalysis is desirable.
- Existing photocatalysts inefficiently utilize near-infrared (NIR) light, a significant portion of the solar spectrum.
- Electron energy loss in sub-gap states limits H2O2 generation efficiency in typical NIR photocatalysts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a supramolecular photocatalyst for efficient H2O2 production using NIR light.
- To investigate the mechanism of enhanced H2O2 generation facilitated by polydopamine.
- To improve solar-to-chemical conversion efficiency for sustainable H2O2 synthesis.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a polydopamine-loaded porphyrin supramolecular photocatalyst.
- Evaluation of photocatalytic H2O2 production under NIR and full-spectrum solar irradiation.
- Spectroscopic analysis to elucidate the role of semiquinone radicals in electron transfer.
Main Results:
- The photocatalyst achieved an apparent quantum yield of 2.8% at 1020 nm, demonstrating efficient NIR utilization.
- A high H2O2 generation rate of 3.37 mM/h and solar-to-chemical conversion efficiency of 2.2% were obtained under full-spectrum irradiation.
- Persistent semiquinone radicals in polydopamine enabled ultrafast electron transfer (ca. 79 fs) and facilitated •OOH radical generation.
Conclusions:
- The developed photocatalyst effectively harnesses NIR light for sustainable H2O2 production.
- Polydopamine's semiquinone radicals play a crucial role in accelerating the photocatalytic process.
- This work offers insights into designing advanced NIR-responsive photocatalysts for efficient solar energy conversion.
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