Porous Organic Polymers: Promising Testbed for Heterogeneous Reactive Oxygen Species Mediated Photocatalysis and Nonredox CO2 Fixation

Abstract

Catalysts play a pivotal role in achieving the global need for food and energy. In this context, porous organic polymers (POPs) with high surface area, robust architecture, tunable pore size, and chemical functionalities have emerged as promising testbeds for heterogeneous catalysis. Amorphous POPs having functionalized interconnected hierarchical porous structures activate a diverse range of substrates through covalent/non‐covalent interactions or act as a host matrix to encapsulate catalytically active metal centers. On the other hand, conjugated POPs have been explored for photoinduced chemical transformations. In this personal account, we have delineated the evolution of various POPs and the specific role of pores and pore functionalities in heterogeneous catalysis. Subsequently, we retrospect our journey over the last ten years towards designing and fabricating amorphous POPs for heterogeneous catalysis, specifically photocatalytic reactive oxygen species (ROS)‐mediated organic transformations and nonredox chemical fixation of CO2. We have also outlined some of the future avenues of POPs and POP‐based hybrid materials for diverse catalytic applications.