B←N bonds alter the photo-generated electron/hole separation ability of conjugated polymers to promote photocatalytic performance

Abstract

Conjugated polymers have gained much attention due to their ability to efficiently convert solar energy into hydrogen. However, the low photo-generated electron/hole separation and transport capabilities limit the development of organic conjugated materials. Herein, we embedded B←N bonds into a conjugated polymer skeleton and measured their photocatalytic hydrogen production performance, which showed that the hydrogen evolution rate (HER) of polymers PBM and PBMP with B←N structures was significantly enhanced, in which PBM reached an outstanding 68.8 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ (1% Pt as the co-catalyst and 100 mW cm⁻²-full light). The fundamental reason for this is that the introduction of B←N bonds changes the electronic structure of the material and promotes the separation of photo-generated electrons/holes.