Speakers

​Harnessing sunlight to drive chemical transformations represents one of the most promising routes toward a sustainable energy future. Among various approaches, molecularly engineered polymeric photocatalysts, encompassing conjugated polymers, conjugated microporous polymers, polymer dots, and covalent organic frameworks (COFs), provide unique advantages for solar-driven hydrogen evolution. Their molecular versatility—offering structural tunability, abundant ​design space, and compatibility with low-temperature, solution-based fabrication—enables precise control of energy levels and charge dynamics critical for efficient charge separation and hydrogen production. However, polymer-based ​photocatalysts still face challenges in aqueous environments due to their intrinsic hydrophobicity, which limits interfacial charge transfer and suppresses hydrogen evolution efficiency. Our research focuses on enhancing the ​polymer–water interface through rational control of backbone conjugation, donor–acceptor interactions, and interfacial properties, achieving highly efficient hydrogen evolution in the presence of sacrificial reagents. Building on this ​foundation, our recent research expands polymer photocatalysis beyond conventional water splitting toward circular waste upcycling via photoreforming. These semiconducting polymers exhibit exceptional design flexibility and ​controllable energy levels, yet their interfacial characteristics remain crucial for achieving stable performance. To address this, we incorporated hydrophilic building blocks into discontinuously conjugated backbones, markedly ​improving interfacial hydrophilicity and charge accessibility while maintaining desirable semiconducting features. Furthermore, by evaluating photocatalytic behavior in natural and simulated seawater, we reveal how ionic species and ​interfacial barriers influence activity and durability. Extending beyond pure-water systems, we further employ these materials for solar-driven photoreforming, coupling the oxidation of plastics, biomass, and food waste into value-added ​organics with the concurrent reduction to hydrogen fuel, thereby establishing a sustainable and circular waste-to-energy platform. This presentation will highlight the molecular design principles and interfacial engineering strategies that ​​​​goven both hydrogen evolution and photoreforming systems, offering new insights into how polymer chemistry can ​​bridge solar energy conversion and chemical production.