Hypercrosslinked Polymers as a Photocatalytic Platform for Visible-Light-Driven CO Photoreduction Using H O.

The design of robust, high-performance photocatalysts is key for the success of solar fuel production by CO conversion. In this study, hypercrosslinked polymer (HCP) photocatalysts have been developed for the selective reduction of CO to CO, combining excellent CO sorption capacities, good general stabilities, and low production costs. HCPs are active photocatalysts in the visible light range, significantly outperforming the benchmark material, TiO P25, using only sacrificial H O. It is hypothesized that superior H O adsorption capacities facilitate access to photoactive sites, improving photocatalytic conversion rates when compared to sacrificial H . These polymers are an intriguing set of organic photocatalysts, displaying no long-range order or extended π-conjugation. The as-synthesized networks are the sole photocatalytic component, requiring no added cocatalyst doping or photosensitizer, representing a highly versatile and exciting platform for solar-energy conversion.