The Synthesis, Construction, and Applications of Benzophenone-Based Porous Polymers

Benzophenone serves as a prototype chromophore for triplet photochemistry, featuring distinctive n,π* and π,π* excited states, radical-generating ability, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production activity, which endow it with unparalleled superiority in photocatalysis, sensing, and adsorption applications. However, as soluble small molecules, benzophenone and its analogues suffer from issues of migration in the homogeneous solution. To address this limitation and fully exploit the functional characteristics of these compounds, researchers have incorporated benzophenone and its derivatives as a building unit into porous polymers. Over the past decade, a diverse array of porous materials based on the benzophenone unit has been developed, and their properties have been extensively explored for various application domains, including adsorption and separation, catalysis, biomedicine, and sensing. This is attributed to its relatively stable chemical stability, high specific surface area, and unique ketone functional sites. This review summarizes the synthetic strategies and primary applications of benzophenone-based porous polymers and provides an outlook on their future development.