Photocatalyst-Incorporated Cross-Linked Porous Polymer Networks

The utilization of sunlight to conduct chemistry has been on a stark rise in the era of sustainability. A similar trend is observed in polymer science, mainly to initiate polymerization and modify polymer materials, but mostly relying on the utilization of soluble initiator/activator molecules. Semiconductors, on the other hand, grant a platform for "photoredox" induced chemical pathways, so that reductive and oxidative reactions (as well as radical formation) can be tailored according to band positions. Despite their utilization as dispersed or dissolved phases, immobilization of semiconductors on macroscale solid surfaces is attractive to entail scale-up options. In this Review, semiconductors incorporated in cross-linked porous polymer networks will be summarized both from synthesis and application perspectives.