Dibenzothiophene-S,S-Dioxide-Based Conjugated Polymers: Highly Efficient Photocatalyts for Hydrogen Production from Water under Visible Light

Three dibenzothiophene-S,S-dioxide-based alternating copolymers were synthesized by facile Suzuki polymerization for visible light–responsive hydrogen production from water (> 420 nm). Without addition of any cocatalyst, FluPh2-SO showed a photocatalytic efficiency of 3.48 mmol h⁻¹ g−¹, while a larger hydrogen evolution rate (HER) of 4.74 mmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹ was achieved for Py-SO, which was ascribed to the improved coplanarity of the polymer that facilitated both intermolecular packing and charge transport. To minimize the possible steric hindrance of FluPh2-SO by replacing 9,9′-diphenylfluorene with fluorene, Flu-SO exhibited a more red-shifted absorption than FluPh2-SO and yielded the highest HER of 5.04 mmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹. This work highlights the potential of dibenzothiophene-S,S-dioxide as a versatile building block and the rational design strategy for achieving high photocatalytic efficiency.