Heterogenization\nof Homogeneous Donor–Acceptor\nConjugated Polymers for Efficient Photooxidation: An Approach Toward\nSustainable and Recyclable Photocatalysis

Recovery of homogeneous photocatalysts from reaction\nmixture is\nchallenging, affecting the cost-effectiveness, and masks their advantages,\nincluding 4–8 fold higher catalytic activity than corresponding\nheterogeneous counterparts. Incorporation of long alkyl chains within\nthe rigid π-conjugated backbone of conjugated polymers can augment\ntheir solubility in particular organic solvents; accordingly, they\ncan function as homogeneous photocatalysts. Consequently, these polymers\nfacilitate the recovery of catalysts through the reverse dissolution\nprocess, thus creating a well-suited platform to meet certain advantages\nof both homo- and heterogeneous photocatalysts. This work exemplifies\nthe unprecedented perks of donor–acceptor conjugated polymers\nfrom benzodithiophene and substituted dibenzothiophene sulfone moieties\nfor their homogeneous phase photoredox activities along with their\nheterogeneous recovery and reuse up to five runs. The potential intermediate\nsinglet oxygen (<sup>1</sup>O<sub>2</sub>) and superoxide (O<sub>2</sub>•<sup>–</sup>) as reactive oxygen species generated\nby these photostable conjugated polymers efficiently catalyze the\nvisible-light-driven oxidation of aryl sulfides (up to 92% yield)\nand oxidative hydroxylation of phenylboronic acids (up to 93% yield),\nrespectively. Therefore, to actualize the heightened catalytic performance\nand formulate a design strategy for polymeric photoredox catalyst,\nour work introduces an alternative approach to the advancement of\nphotocatalysis with diverse catalytic activities