Structural Design of Conjugated Poly (ferrocene‐phenanthroline) for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution from Water

The discovery of highly efficient photocatalysts for water splitting remains a challenge of high importance. Here, we report a series of novel organic conjugated polymers (OCPs) that contain complexed non‐noble metals for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. The conjugated chromophore polymers were synthesized by a Heck coupling between ferrocene and phenantholine derivatives, which absorb broadly, even up to the near‐IR region. The photocatalyst performances were investigated for hydrogen evolution by using Fe3(CO)12 as a water reduction catalyst. H2 evolution rates up to 212.4 μmol h−1, with an apparent quantum yield of 10.3 % at 380 nm, were obtained with a photocatalyst polymer based on alternating ferrocene and 4,7‐bisphenyl‐1,10‐phenanthroline units. The high activity is likely due to favorable electron transfer and coordination of Fe3(CO)12 with phenanthroline in the supramolecular OCPs.