A novel metal-free photocatalyst polyphenylene sulfide: Synthesis, characterization and performance evaluation

Polarization has emerged as one of the most effective strategies for charge carriers separation in the bulk and on the surface of photocatalysts. Searching for novel photocatalysts with intrinsic polarity is a challenge to promote the progress of photocatalysis. Herein, a novel organic polymeric photocatalyst —— Polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) is introduced. Bearing the noncentrosymmetric structure and alternant arrangement of thioether bonds and benzene groups, the generated intrinsic polarization of PPS is proposed and proved. Compared with graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ), PPS exhibits 1.33–5.53 times higher activities for the photodegradation of various contaminants and 50 % more effective performance on the photocatalytic oxidation of benzyl alcohol (BA) to benzaldehyde (BAD) with high selectivity (96 %), which can be ascribed to the spatial separation of charges motivated by the polarization-induced electric field. The investigation of PPS will provide a fresh angle of view for the design and preparation of new metal-free photocatalysts.