Covalent organic frameworks (COFs)
have great application potentials
in photocatalytic water treatment. By using p-phenylenediamine
with different numbers and locations of heterocyclic nitrogen atoms
as a precursor, five types of COFs with different nitrogen positions
were synthesized. We found that Cr(VI) photoreduction,Escherichia coli inactivation, and paracetamol degradation
by COFs were heterocyclic nitrogen location-dependent. Particularly,
the photocatalytic performance for all three tested pollutants by
five types of COFs followed the order of the best performance for
COF-PDZ with two ortho position heterocyclic N atoms, medium for COF-PMD
with two meta position heterocyclic N atoms, and COF-PZ with two para
position heterocyclic N atoms, and COF-PD with a single heterocyclic
N atom, the worst performance for COF-1 without a heterocyclic N atom.
Compared to the other COFs, COF-PDZ contained improved quantum efficiency
and thus enhanced generation of electrons. The lower energy barriers
and larger energy gaps of COF-PDZ contributed to its improved quantum
efficiencies. The stronger affinity to Cr(VI) with lower adsorption
energy of COF-PDZ also contributed to its excellent Cr(VI) reduction
performance. By transferring into a more stable keto form, COF-PDZ
showed great stability through five regeneration and reuse cycles.
Overall, this study provided an insight into the synthesis of high-performance
structure-dependent COF-based photocatalysts.
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