Thiazolo[5,4‐d]thiazole‐Based Donor–Acceptor Covalent Organic Framework for Sunlight‐Driven Hydrogen Evolution

Abstract

2D covalent organic frameworks (COFs) could have well‐defined arrangements of photo‐ and electro‐active units that serve as electron or hole transport channels for solar energy harvesting and conversion, but their insufficient charge transfer and rapid charge recombination impede the sunlight‐driven photocatalytic performance. We report a new donor‐acceptor (D‐A) system, PyTz‐COF that was constructed from the electron‐rich pyrene (Py) and electron‐deficient thiazolo[5,4‐d]thiazole (Tz). With its bicontinuous heterojunction, PyTz‐COF demonstrated exceptional optoelectronic properties, photocatalytic ability in superoxide anion radical‐mediated coupling of (arylmethyl)amines and photoelectrochemical activity in sunlight‐driven hydrogen evolution. Remarkably, PyTz‐COF exhibited a photocurrent up to 100 mA cm‐2 at 0.2 V vs. RHE and could reach a hydrogen evolution rate of 2072.4 mmol g‐1 h‐1. This work is paving the way for reticular design of highly efficient and highly active D‐A systems for solar energy harvesting and conversion.