A Conjugated Porous Organic Polymer as a Metal-Free Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for Enhanced Water Splitting

Abstract

A conjugated porous organic polymer (SMCOP-4) with imine linkage and triazine functional moiety was rationally designed and synthesized by an imine condensation reaction. The π-conjugated network of SMCOP-4 facilitates electron mobility, enhancing electrochemical activity. Metal-free electrocatalyst SMCOP-4 shows superior performance for HER and OER with a low overpotential of 139 mV and 295 mV, respectively, at 10 mA cm−2 current density and with small Tafel slopes in alkaline electrolytes. Along with the low overpotential values, the electrocatalyst is highly stable at electrochemical conditions. Further, density functional theory calculations were carried out to identify the most active sites in catalyzing the HER and OER on the SMCOP-4 catalyst. © 2025 Wiley-VCH GmbH.