From Sunlight to Solar Fuels: The Revolutionary Photocatalytic Potential of Phenazine-Based Conjugated Porous Polymer

Sandra Palenzuela-Rebella^a, Teresa Naranjo^a, Miguel Gómez-Mendoza^a, Mariam Barawi^a, Marta Liras^a, Víctor A. de la Peña O´Shea^a

^aIMDEA ENERGIA

ECAT
Proceedings of Catalyst Design Strategies for Photo- and Electrochemical Fuel Synthesis (ECAT25)

Madrid, Spain, 2025 February 10th - 11th

Organizers: Marta Liras and Claudio Ampelli

Poster, Sandra Palenzuela-Rebella, 028
Publication date: 19th December 2024

In response to the current energetic demand, the generation of solar fuels has appeared as a sustainable alternative. Conjugated Porous Polymers (CPPs) are materials with 2D or 3D amorphous structures that are synthesized by means of kinetic reactions. In this regard, these polymers can be used as renewable energy for photo(electro)catalytic applications in the production of solar fuels (e.g. H₂, hydrocarbons, etc.).^[1,2,3] However, these polymers are difficult to process. In this way, the novelty of this project lies in the synthesis of a new ultrananostructured CPP based on the phenazine monomer (UN_IEP-27) through the use of high-performance microfluidic techniques patented by ourselves. This nanostructuring is essential for enhancing their photocatalytic surface by reducing not only particle size but also polydispersity.^[4] In this way, the hybrid materials prepared with UN_IEP-27 and TiO₂ exhibit the highest photocatalytic hydrogen production achieved so far using CPPs, both at lab and pilot plant scales. Furthermore, due to the unexpected reduction of phenazine, hydrogen production increases over time, eventually doubling the initial output. Finally, this polymer was deposited as high-quality thin films on photoelectrodes for photoelectrochemical processes, being this fact impossible with bulk techniques.

References:

[1] Taylor D.; Dalgarno S. J.; Xu Z.; Vilela F. Conjugated porous polymers: incredibly versatile materials with far-reaching applications. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2020, 49, 3981-4042.

[2] Liras M.; Barawi M.; de la Peña O´Shea V. A. Hybrid materials based on conjugated polymers and inorganic semiconductors as photocatalysts: from environmental to energy applications. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2019, 48, 5454-5487.

[3] Barawi M.; Collado L.; Gomez-Mendoza M.; Oropeza F. E.; Liras M.; de la Peña O'Shea V. A. Conjugated Porous Polymers: Ground-Breaking Materials for Solar Energy Conversion. Adv. Energy Mater. 2021, 11, 2101530

[4] Palenzuela-Rebella S.; Naranjo T.; Gomez-Mendoza M.; Barawi M.; Liras M.; de la Peña O´Shea V. A. High-Performance Microfluidic Techniques toward Nanostructuration of BODIPY and BOPHY Based CPPs Hybrid Photocatalyst for Hydrogen Production. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2024, 34, 2403778.

Acknowledgements:

This work received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under an ERC-PoC project (NanoCPP, 899773). Financial support was received from AEI-MICINN/FEDER, UE through the Nhympha Project (PID2019-106315RB-I00) and N-GREEN (PID2022-141688OB-I00). Moreover, thanks PIPF-2022/ECO-26069 grant funded by regional government of Comunidad de Madrid.

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