Covalent Organic Frameworks Confined Nanocrystallines Towards Interpenetrating Heterojunctions for Efficient Photocatalytic H2O2 Production and Selective Organic Catalysis

Abstract

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have emerged as a promising photocatalyst for direct H2O2 synthesis but suffer from rapid charge recombination and limited visible-light absorption. We developed confined nanoheterojunctions with an interpenetrated network by integrating COFs with ZnCdS via in situ growth, improving visible-light harvesting and promoting effective separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs through intimate interfacial contact. The optimized heterostructure exhibits an exceptional H₂O₂ production rate of 83460 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ under visible light, representing a 10-fold and 3-fold increase over pristine COF (8262 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹) and ZnCdS (26860 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹), respectively. Mechanistic studies confirm the primary role of superoxide radicals (•O₂⁻). Simultaneously, the photocatalyst enables efficient organic transformation, achieving 91.9% conversion in the coupling of thiophenol. This dual functionality bridges artificial photosynthesis and value-added chemical synthesis.

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
20 Jun 2025
Accepted
04 Aug 2025
First published
04 Aug 2025

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2025, Accepted Manuscript

Covalent Organic Frameworks Confined Nanocrystallines Towards Interpenetrating Heterojunctions for Efficient Photocatalytic H2O2 Production and Selective Organic Catalysis

H. You, M. Guo, S. Gao, Y. Du, J. Yang, K. Xiong, T. Lu, S. Li, C. Cheng and C. Zhao, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2025, Accepted Manuscript , DOI: 10.1039/D5TA04995D

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