Hydrophilic Engineering of Pyrene‐Based COFs for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

In this study, we incorporated hydroxyl (COF-JLU71) and methoxy (COF-JLU72) functional groups into the 2D framework of 4,4',4'',4'''-(1,9-dihydropyrene-1,3,6,8-tetrayl)tetrabenzaldehyde and synthesized two hydrophilic COFs by Schiff base condensation with 4,4'-(benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole-4,7-diyl) aniline. Their structural features were compared, and it was found that such modifications are beneficial for the construction of hydrogen bond networks, the tuning of photostructures, the enhancement of hydrophilicity, and the improvement of photocatalytic water splitting efficiency.