Intermolecular cascaded π-conjugation channels for electron delivery powering CO₂ photoreduction

Photoreduction of CO₂ to fuels offers a promising strategy for managing the global carbon balance using renewable solar energy. But the decisive process of oriented photogenerated electron delivery presents a considerable challenge. Here, we report the construction of intermolecular cascaded π-conjugation channels for powering CO₂ photoreduction by modifying both intramolecular and intermolecular conjugation of conjugated polymers (CPs). This coordination of dual conjugation is firstly proved by theoretical calculations and transient spectroscopies, showcasing alkynyl-removed CPs blocking the delocalization of electrons and in turn delivering the localized electrons through the intermolecular cascaded channels to active sites. Therefore, the optimized CPs (N-CP-D) exhibiting CO evolution activity of 2247 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ and revealing a remarkable enhancement of 138-times compared to unmodified CPs (N-CP-A).