Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is an indispensable industrial feedstock and energy carrier, yet its synthesis is challenging due to the energy-intensive property and complex postpurification process. Direct photocatalytic H2O2 production from water and air offers a promising approach to addressing these problems, while obtaining efficient and robust photocatalysts has been a longstanding challenge. Herein, we describe the design and synthesis of a two-dimensional conjugated BODIPY-based framework (2D CBF) via BODIPY-mediated topologic aldol-type polycondensation. The strong solar-harvesting BODIPY units and 2D extended conjugation endow the 2D CBF with near-infrared absorption and abundant oxygen adsorption sites. Consequently, the resulting 2D CBF demonstrates a remarkable H2O2 production rate up to ∼56.8 mmol h–1 gcat–1 and benchmark apparent quantum yield of 21.9% without cocatalyst and sacrificial agents, largely superior to the BODIPY molecule. In a large-scale paradigm, the 2D CBF-based floatable photocatalysis platform (∼0.2 m2) could efficiently uptake reactant (O2) from air and produce H2O2 at a rate up to ∼15 mmol h–1 m–2 under sunlight irradiation. This work highlights the two-dimensional strategy and BODIPY building blocks for designing and synthesizing highly efficient photocatalytic platforms.
Li et al. (Mon,) studied this question.