Conjugated microporous polymers as a visible light driven platform for photo-redox conversion of biomass derived chemicals

Abstract

Photocatalytic conversion of biomass derived chemicals to valuable products is a highly sustainable process. Herein we report the photocatalytic hydrogenation of maleic acid to succinic acid and oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-diformylfuran using the same conjugated porous polymers (CMPs). The CMPs were constructed from 2,4,6-(tri-2-thienyl)-1,3,5-triazine as the knots and different benzene derivatives as linkers, and their morphologies, redox potentials, charge separation efficiency, and the consequent photocatalytic performance have been controlled. As a result, the CMP with benzene as the linker features the highest photocatalytic activities with production rates of 4.66 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ for succinic acid and 0.53 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ for 2,5-diformylfuran, respectively. Most importantly, high photocatalytic activity has also been achieved under natural sunlight irradiation, implying its feasibility as an efficient photocatalytic platform for solar-to-chemical energy conversion.