Photoactive Organo-Sulfur Polymers for Hydrogen Generation.

Herein, we report the synthesis of photoactive polymeric organo-sulfur (POS) materials. These polymers absorb light in the ultraviolet/visible and near-infrared region of the solar spectrum, and upon irradiation, they reduce water to hydrogen (H 2 ). The decoration of POS materials with nitrile (-CN) groups is found to be the critical factor for enhanced interactions with the co-catalyst, Ni 2 P, leading to greater H 2 evolution rates compared to the nitrile-free POS material.