Fabrication of dianthracene-based hyper-cross-linked polymers for selective photocatalytic oxidation of organic sulfides

Dianthracene with unique contorted configuration and photoactive behavior can serve as a good building block for the synthesis of robust photosensitive porous organic polymers. Herein, we present the fabrication of two hyper-cross-linked polymers (HCPs), namely HCP-DiAn and HCP-DiBrAn, by deliberately using dianthracene derivatives as monomers via the Friedel-Crafts alkylation reaction. The resultant HCP-DiBrAn displays a higher surface area compared to HCP-DiAn. Besides, HCP-DiBrAn exhibits higher photoactivity as confirmed by electrochemical techniques. Hence, HCP-DiBrAn is evaluated as a catalyst for the photocatalytic selective oxidation of organic sulfides, which shows high efficiency, selectivity, and good reusability. Mechanism investigations demonstrate that the selective formation of desired sulfoxides over HCP-DiBrAn is shaped by electron and energy transfer pathways. In addition, HCP-DiBrAn sustainably maintains excellent catalytic activity after multiple cycles as a stable heterogeneous catalyst. This project illustrates the potential of design and synthesis of dianthracene-based robust porous materials for advanced applications.