Hydrophobic covalent organic frameworks utilized Fluorocarbon/Water system for efficient hydrogen peroxide photosynthesis

Great efforts have been made for H 2 O 2 production by an artificial photosynthetic approach. However, the poor solubility of oxygen in the liquid phase, sluggish mass transfer, and additional concentration step to produce H 2 O 2 have limited the development of this technology. Herein, a unique fluorocarbon/hydrophobic photocatalysts/water system is reported, which ensures an efficient photosynthesis and spontaneous self-separation of H 2 O 2. The presence of an ultra-thin dense gas layer between the perfluorous solvent and the photocatalysts enables rapid oxygen supply through a nano-confinement effect. Thus, a maximum photosynthetic efficiency of 4.9 mM g −1 h −1 of H 2 O 2 is achieved, 6 times higher compared to its counterpart gas–liquid-solid triphase system. Importantly, the independent hierarchical structure of the present system, allows functional applications, such as the Fenton reaction using pre-added Fe 2+ in the aqueous solution. This feature makes the fluorocarbon/water systems is an advantageous one and of extraordinary significance for similar types of gas–liquid reactions.