Li Xiaochun, Chen Xiaoxiao, Fang Yuanxing, Lin Wei, Hou Yidong, Anpo Masakazu, Fu Xianzhi, Wang Xinchen
State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University Fuzhou 350116 P. R. China
Chem Sci. 2022 Jun 1;13(25):7541-7551. doi: 10.1039/d2sc02043b. eCollection 2022 Jun 29.
Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is an appealing approach by which to convert solar energy into hydrogen fuel. Polymeric semiconductors have recently attracted intense interest of many scientists for PEC water splitting. The crystallinity of polymer films is regarded as the main factor that determines the conversion efficiency. Herein, potassium poly(heptazine) imide (K-PHI) films with improved crystallinity were prepared on a conductive substrate as a photoanode for solar-driven water splitting. A remarkable photocurrent density of 0.80 mA cm was achieved under air mass 1.5 global illumination without the use of any sacrificial agent, a performance that is 20 times higher than that of the photoanode in an amorphous state, and higher than those of other related polymeric photoanodes. The boosted performance can be attributed to improved charge transfer, which has been investigated using steady state and approaches. This work elucidates the pivotal importance of the crystallinity of conjugated polymer semiconductors for PEC water splitting and other advanced photocatalytic applications.
光电化学（PEC）水分解是一种将太阳能转化为氢燃料的有吸引力的方法。聚合物半导体最近在PEC水分解方面引起了许多科学家的浓厚兴趣。聚合物薄膜的结晶度被认为是决定转换效率的主要因素。在此，在导电基底上制备了具有改善结晶度的聚（七嗪）酰亚胺钾（K-PHI）薄膜，作为用于太阳能驱动水分解的光阳极。在空气质量1.5全球光照下，无需使用任何牺牲剂，实现了0.80 mA cm的显著光电流密度，该性能比非晶态光阳极高20倍，且高于其他相关聚合物光阳极。性能的提高可归因于电荷转移的改善，这已通过稳态和相关方法进行了研究。这项工作阐明了共轭聚合物半导体的结晶度对于PEC水分解和其他先进光催化应用的关键重要性。
