Photocatalytic hydrogen peroxide production from water using a cyano-covalent organic framework

Bernard Dawai^a^,^b, Ying Pan^a, Patrice Kenfack Tsobnang^b, Karlo Nolkemper^a, Ignas Tonle Kenfack^b, Nieves López-Salas^c

^aUniversity of Paderborn, Department of Chemistry, Sustainable Materials Chemistry Group, Warburger strasse 100, 33098, Paderborn, Germany

^bUniversity of Dschang, Department of Chemistry, Research Unit of Noxious Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, P.O Box 96, Dschang, Cameroon

^cUniversity of Paderborn, Department of Chemistry, Theoretical Chemistry, and Center for Sustainable Systems Design, Warburger Str. 100, 33098 Paderborn, Germany

Proceedings of MATSUS Spring 2026 Conference (MATSUSSpring26)

E4 Photo-assisted chemical reactions: materials, characterization and mechanisms

Barcelona, Spain, 2026 March 23rd - 27th

Organizers: Josep Albero Sancho and Diego Mateo Mateo

Poster, Bernard Dawai, 798
Publication date: 15th December 2025

The demand for sustainable chemical production methods has led to significant advancements in photocatalysis. This study explores the photocatalytic production of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) from water using a covalent organic framework (CYANO-COF) synthesized from triformylphloroglucinol (Tp) and 4,4'-diamino-[1,1'-biphenyl]-3,3'-dicarbonitrile (Bp-CN) via Schiff-base condensation. The synthesized COF material exhibited a predominantly AB stacking structure with an optimal bandgap (2.22 eV) for visible-light absorption and effective charge separation. Furthermore, the photoelectrochemical characterizations revealed the photoresponsive nature of the material by creating high charge density under illumination. Under illumination, the photocatalyst demonstrated efficient H₂O₂ generation with production rates of 550 µmolg^-1h^-1 using only water and 371 µmolg^-1h^-1 in the presence of ethanol. The sacrificial-agent-free system aligns with green chemistry principles, simplifying reaction conditions and reducing environmental impact. Mechanistic studies confirmed the role of photoinduced electron-hole pairs in water oxidation and oxygen reduction. This research underscores the potential of CYANO-COF materials in sustainable H₂O₂ production using only water and sunlight thus highlighting avenues for optimizing long-term stability and efficiency.

Keywords. Hydrogen peroxide, photocatalyst, covalent organic framework, Schiff-base condensation, sacrificial agent

Acknowledgements:

Bernard Dawai thanks the DAAD for financial support for the Short-term Research Grants, 2023 (57681230). N. López Salas also thanks DAAD for the AfriGER project (57703085) and UPB for internal funds support. Ying Pan acknowledges financial support from the Postdoctoral Fellowship and Forschungsreserve Fund of the University of Paderborn.

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