The Polymer Society of Korea

Abstract

The increasing concentration of carbon dioxide requires sustainable methods to convert it into useful carbon resources. Light-driven catalysis is attractive because it uses sunlight, but many organic visible-light-absorbing materials show limited durability. Therefore, a polymer–inorganic hybrid nanostructure was designed for efficient light-driven CO₂ conversion.
A core–shell nanohybrid photocatalyst was developed using an organic core composed of energy-level-aligned donor and acceptor conjugated polymers and a TiO₂ shell. The organic core absorbs light and promotes charge generation and separation, while the inorganic shell enhances stability. The nanohybrids were fabricated by a nanoemulsion process and spray-coated onto conductive glass. Under light irradiation, hydrogen was produced as the main product, with carbon monoxide and methane also detected. These results demonstrate that core–shell nanohybrids provide a robust platform for light-driven CO₂ conversion.