Self-Trapped Excitons Activate Pseudo-Inert Basal Planes of 2D Organic Semiconductors for Improved Photocatalysis.

ABSTRACT: 2D organic semiconductors are widely considered superior photocatalysts due to their large basal planes, which host abundant and tunable reaction sites. However, here, it is discovered that these basal planes can be pseudo-inert, fundamentally challenging conventional design strategies that assume uniform activity on the surface of 2D organic semiconductors. Using 2D potassium-poly (heptazine imide) (KPHI) for hydrogen peroxide photocatalysis as a model, it is demonstrated that the pseudo-inertness of basal planes stems from preferential exciton transport to edges, instead of interlayer transport in highly ordered structures. Thus, their dimension reduction enables controlled localization of exciton due to the self-trapping mechanism, whereby the basal planes can transform from pseudo-iner

SUBMITTER: Yang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12306381 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature