Polymer photocatalysts for solar-to-chemical energy conversion

Solar-to-chemical energy conversion for the generation of high-energy chemicals is one of the most viable solutions to the quest for sustainable energy resources. Although long dominated by inorganic semiconductors, organic polymeric photocatalysts offer the advantage of a broad, molecular-level design space of their optoelectronic and surface catalytic properties, owing to their molecularly precise backbone. In this Review, we discuss the fundamental concepts of polymeric photocatalysis and examine different polymeric photocatalysts, including carbon nitrides, conjugated polymers, covalent triazine frameworks and covalent organic frameworks. We analyse the photophysical and physico-chemical concepts that govern the photocatalytic performance of these materials, and derive design principles and possible future research directions in this emerging field of ‘soft photocatalysis’. In this Review, the authors analyse the fundamental concepts that govern the photocatalytic performance of organic polymer photocatalysts and discuss the challenges and future of the field of ‘soft photocatalysis’.