Double Hypercrosslinked Porous Organic Polymer-Derived Electrocatalysts for a Water Splitting Device

Abstract

Water electrolysis shows great promise as a viable pathway for the scalable production of high-purity hydrogen, a clean and renewable energy source. Despite being extensively developed for water splitting, scalable electrocatalysts that can balance catalytic activity and cost-effectiveness continue to be in great demand. Herein, we report a low Pt content electrocatalyst based on a N-doped carbon matrix derived from a hypercrosslinked porous organic polymer (HCP). The HCP was prepared through double Friedel-Crafts reactions with improved porosity for the first time. After Pt metallization and carbonization, a scalable electrocatalyst was obtained without other capping and reducing agents. The prepared catalyst exhibited top-tier performances in catalytic activity and durability in hydrogen evolution reaction when compared to previously reported metal-organic framework- and covalent organic framework-based catalysts. In addition, a water splitting cell using a porous material was demonstrated for the first time. This work provides insight into the design of a scalable electrocatalyst for the generation of hydrogen from water electrolysis.