Recent Advances in Conjugated Polymers for Visible‐Light‐Driven Water Splitting

• Published in: Advanced materials (Weinheim) Vol. 32; no. 28; pp. e1907296 - n/a
• Main Authors: Zhao, Chengxiao, Chen, Zupeng, Shi, Run, Yang, Xiaofei, Zhang, Tierui
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.07.2020
• Subjects: Chemical evolution; conjugated polymers; Crosslinking; Fossil fuels; Hydrogen evolution; oxygen evolution; Photocatalysis; Photocatalysts; Polymers; Porosity; Structural design; visible‐light‐driven photocatalysis; Water pollution; Water splitting
• ISSN: 0935-9648; 1521-4095; 1521-4095
• DOI: 10.1002/adma.201907296

With the ambition of solving the challenges of the shortage of fossil fuels and their associated environmental pollution, visible‐light‐driven splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen using semiconductor photocatalysts has emerged as a promising technology to provide environmentally friendly energy vectors. Among the current library of developed photocatalysts, organic conjugated polymers present unique advantages of sufficient light‐absorption efficiency, excellent stability, tunable electronic properties, and economic applicability. As a class of rising photocatalysts, organic conjugated polymers offer high flexibility in tuning the framework of the backbone and porosity to fulfill the requirements for photocatalytic applications. In the past decade, significant progress has been made in visible‐light‐driven water splitting employing organic conjugated polymers. The recent development of the structural design principles of organic conjugated polymers (including linear, crosslinked, and supramolecular self‐assembled polymers) toward efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, oxygen evolution, and overall water splitting is described, thus providing a comprehensive reference for the field. Finally, current challenges and perspectives are also discussed. Molecular design strategies of various conjugated polymers for photocatalytic water splitting are reviewed. The structure–property relationships between functional groups, building blocks, and photocatalytic water splitting in a variety of conjugated polymers are explored. Furthermore, key factors that contribute to a highly efficient polymer photocatalyst in visible‐light‐driven water splitting are outlined.