Hypercrosslinked Polymers as a Photocatalytic Platform for Visible-Light-Driven CO2 Photoreduction Using H2 O
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Updated: Nov 22, 2025

Developing Photosensitizer-Cobaloxime Hybrids for Solar-Driven H2 Production in Aqueous Aerobic Conditions
Published on: October 5, 2019
Giulia E M Schukraft1, Robert T Woodward1,2, Santosh Kumar3
1Barrer Centre, Department of Chemical Engineering, South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
Abstract:
The design of robust, high-performance photocatalysts is key for the success of solar fuel production by CO2 conversion. In this study, hypercrosslinked polymer (HCP) photocatalysts have been developed for the selective reduction of CO2 to CO, combining excellent CO2 sorption capacities, good general stabilities, and low production costs. HCPs are active photocatalysts in the visible light range, significantly outperforming the benchmark material, TiO2 P25, using only sacrificial H2 O. It is hypothesized that superior H2 O adsorption capacities facilitate access to photoactive sites, improving photocatalytic conversion rates when compared to sacrificial H2 . 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.
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