Solution-processable microporous polymer platform for heterogenization of diverse photoredox catalysts

Abstract

In contemporary organic synthesis, substances that access strongly oxidizing and/or reducing states upon irradiation have been exploited to facilitate powerful and unprecedented transformations. However, the implementation of light-driven reactions in large-scale processes remains uncommon, limited by the lack of general technologies for the immobilization, separation, and reuse of these diverse catalysts. Here, we report a new class of photoactive organic polymers that combine the flexibility of small-molecule dyes with the operational advantages and recyclability of solid-phase catalysts. The solubility of these polymers in select non-polar organic solvents supports their facile processing into a wide range of heterogeneous modalities. The active sites, embedded within porous microstructures, display elevated reactivity, further enhanced by the mobility of excited states and charged species within the polymers. The independent tunability of the physical and photochemical properties of these materials affords a convenient, generalizable platform for the metamorphosis of modern photoredox catalysts into active heterogeneous equivalents.