Low-cost porous organic polymer based on aromatic ketones for photocatalytic oxygen activation and H2O2 production

Abstract

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), as a widely used green oxidant, it is of great significance to develop stable, effective photocatalysts with excellent oxygen activation capabilities and large-scale preparation potential for its production. In this work, low-cost porous organic polymers featuring aromatic ketone as the functional unit were synthesized using readily available and inexpensive bulk chemical reagents. Among them, the acetophenone-based catalyst (TPN-CO-Eth) exhibited the optimal H2O2 production rate (3798 μmol g -1 h -1 ) under the conditions of oxygen and pure water via the 2e -oxygen reduction pathway. The experimental results and theoretical calculations indicate that the excellent catalytic effect stems from the aromatic ketone unit within the structure. The incorporation of the aromatic ketone carbonyl group not only efficiently activates oxygen but also enhances the hydrophilicity and facilitates charge transfer of the material. Furthermore, the scale-up preparation of TPN-CO-Eth showcases the exceptional potential of the catalyst designed in this work for industrial applications.