The conventional method of creating anthraquinones is intricate and has significant energy and ecological costs

The gap

Evidence profile

Sourced from the future work and stated research gap of the source papers, classified as general, spanning 3 journals.

Supporting evidence — 3 representative gaps

• Donor-acceptor conjugated polymers for the photosynthesis of H2O2 in pure water (2026) · Catal · doi

  The photocatalytic synthesis of H2O2 has emerged as a promising sustainable strategy to replace the traditional anthraquinone process. D-A conjugated polymers, owing to their tunable band structures, broad visible-light absorption, and efficient charge separation, have demon- strated remarkable potential as photocatalysts for sacri- ficial-agent-free H2O2 production in pure water. Recent progress has highlighted the importance of rational molecular engineering, including modulation of donor and acceptor units, linkage design, topology optimiza- tion, active-site regulation, and mass transfer enhance- ment. These strategies have significantly improved the production rate, selectivity, and stability of D-A conju- gated polymers for H2O2 photosynthesis, pushing the field closer toward practical applications. Despite these advances, several challenges remain. First, the solar-to-chemical conversion efficiency is still limited under ambient conditions. Currently, the reported solar-to-chemical conversion efficiency is still not higher than 3%, which is far from the industrial requirement for the photoproduction of H2O2. Addition- ally, stability during long-term operation requires further improvement. Apparent decay can be observed for many reported D-A conjugated polymers after several cycling tests, which could be attributed to the change in the chemical structure of the photocatalysts during opera- tion. Second, the structure-activity relationship is still lacking. Until now, the exploration of the D-A conjugated polymers employs a “trial and error” method, which is comparatively low efficiency. Therefore, the structure- activity relationship is highly needed for the directed design of the photocatalysts. In addition, stability dur- ing long-term operation remains another critical chal- lenge. Significant performance decay has been observed for many reported photocatalysts after repeated cycling tests, which may originate from changes in the chemical Wang et al. Catal (2026) 2:13 Page 14 of 18 Fig. 11 a The behaviors of excitons, polarons and charge carriers in 3D photocatalysts with much enhanced mass transfer comparing to 2D photocata- lysts [78]. Copyright 2024, Springer Nature. b 2D covalent organic framework with engineered hydraulically active 1D channels [47]. Copyright 2024,

  generalfuture work
  Keywords: photocatalysts polymers chemical conjugated stability efficiency still reported structure charge production design tion active mass
• A A Short Review of Recent Advances in ArtificialP hotosynthesis Chemistry (2026) · مجلة جامعة صنعاء للعلوم التطبيقية والتكنولوجيا · doi

  Recent advances in artificial photosynthesis have im- proved catalyst performance and integrated system effi- ciencies, bringing laboratory prototypes closer to practi- cal applications. Future research should explicitly target the development of durable, earth-abundant catalysts, design optimized multi-component interfaces for efficient light harvesting and charge transfer, scalable fabrica- tion of device architectures, and mechanistic studies combining experimental and computational approaches. Focusing on these areas (Scalable Synthesis, Device Integration, Product Selectivity) will accelerate the development of sustainable, high-efficiency artificial pho- tosynthetic technologies. 8. CONCLUSIONS In the last three to five years (2020–2025), chemical re- search in artificial photosynthesis has achieved meaning- ful advances in both catalyst design and integrated sys- tems. Researchers have developed self-photosensitizing molecular catalysts and robust hybrid assemblies that improve light absorption and charge transfer, while new earth-abundant catalysts show enhanced activity and se- lectivity for CO2 reduction and water oxidation. Progress in artificial leaf architectures and photoelectrochemical cells has also demonstrated higher solar-to-chemical conversion efficiencies under practical conditions, nar- rowing the gap between fundamental chemistry and func- tional prototypes. Despite remaining challenges in long- term stability, material cost, and scale-up, recent studies highlight promising strategies such as bio-inspired cata- lyst motifs, optimized ligand environments, and coupled catalytic interfaces. Key takeaways from this review: • Main progress: Self-photosensitizing molecular cat- alysts (Ru and Co) eliminate the need for separate photosensitizers, simplifying system design. MOF and COF frameworks have improved catalyst stability by 10–20× compared to homogeneous analogs. • Main bottleneck – stability: Most advanced cata- lysts still degrade within 12–100 h of continuous op- eration. Commercial viability requires >1000 h (or >1 year) of stability. © 2026 JAST Sana’a University Journal of Applied Sciences and Technology

  generalfuture work
  Keywords: artificial stability catalyst catalysts design recent advances photosynthesis integrated system prototypes development earth abundant optimized
• Catalyst Engineering for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Peroxide Production: State-of-the-Art Progress and Future Perspectives (2026) · Nanomaterials · doi

  The conventional method of creating anthraquinones is intricate and has significant energy and ecological costs. The traditional photocatalytic approach for H2O2 synthesis employs charge carriers generated from photon-induced processes as mediators for redox reactions, which is plagued by limitations. Insufficient oxygen supply and large-scale continuous production are challenges in photocatalytic H2O2 production.

  generalstated research gapevidence 5/5
  Keywords: conventional method creating anthraquinones intricate has significant energy

Questions about this gap