Constructing a conjugated bridge for efficient electron transport at the interface of an inorganic–organic hetero-junction

Abstract

The large barrier between the phase interfaces of heterojunction catalysts inhibits the electron transfer, resulting in a limited catalytic efficiency. Herein, amino-grafted carbon dots (CDs) were utilized as the building units for the preparation of a CD covalently doped porous polymer. Due to the formation of a conjugated bridge (CN bond) with delocalized π-electrons, photo-generated electrons were quickly transferred from an organic semiconductor (N₃-COF) to an inorganic semiconductor (CDs). Correspondingly, the improvement percentage for the H₂ production rate of CD-N₃-COF was 560% and 290% compared to that of the physically doped and single bond linked COF systems, respectively. This work provides significant inspiration for consciously regulating the bridge structure at the atomic-level to facilitate the electron transport for the preparation of high-performance heterojunction catalysts.