Volume 64, Issue 28 e202504635
Research Article

Production of H2O2 via Energy Transfer Photocatalysis by Coupling with Furfuryl Alcohol Conversion over an Amide-Functionalized Heptazine Framework

Dr. Liangpang Xu

Dr. Liangpang Xu

Department of Chemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, 999077 China

Search for more papers by this author
Ka Shuen Yeung

Ka Shuen Yeung

Department of Chemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, 999077 China

Search for more papers by this author
Dr. Lejing Li

Dr. Lejing Li

Department of Chemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, 999077 China

Search for more papers by this author
Xixian Nan

Xixian Nan

Department of Chemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, 999077 China

Search for more papers by this author
Prof. Oleksandr Savateev

Prof. Oleksandr Savateev

Department of Chemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, 999077 China

Search for more papers by this author
Prof. Zhuofeng Hu

Corresponding Author

Prof. Zhuofeng Hu

School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510275 China

E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]

Search for more papers by this author
Prof. Jimmy C. Yu

Corresponding Author

Prof. Jimmy C. Yu

Department of Chemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, 999077 China

E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]

Search for more papers by this author
First published: 30 April 2025

Graphical Abstract

Traditional charge-carrier-based photocatalysis can be switched to a novel energy transfer route for efficient and selective 1O2 generation through amide functionalization to modulate the electronic structure of the photocatalyst, thus providing a promising approach for simultaneous synthesis of H2O2 and conversion of a biomass derivative.

Abstract

Photocatalytic oxygen reduction provides a sustainable approach for hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) synthesis, but the charge carrier-based pathway is severely limited by inefficient charge separation and redox decomposition of the produced H2O2. Energy transfer photocatalysis (EnTP) is an alternative charge-carrier-free route for H2O2 synthesis. Herein, we propose a strategy of killing two birds with one stone to simultaneously realize the synthesis of H2O2 and conversion of a biomass derivative by coupling EnTP with the Achmatowicz reaction. Results show efficient production of H2O2 at a rate of 14.6 mmol gcat−1 h−1 and an apparent quantum yield (AQY) of 44.1% at 420 nm, coupled with the conversion of biomass-derived furfuryl alcohol (FFA) into hydroxy-2H-pyran-3(6H)-one with a high selectivity of 85.9%. Such a performance was attributed to the efficient EnTP over the amide-functionalized heptazine framework photocatalyst for singlet oxygen generation, which induces the FFA conversion and concurrently produces H2O2. A systematic study of the photoexcitation process of the catalysts reveals that the amide functionalization significantly improves the intersystem crossing (ISC) efficiency, as the structural modification optimizes the electronic structure and thus tunes the composition and distribution of energy bands.

Conflict of Interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

The full text of this article hosted at iucr.org is unavailable due to technical difficulties.