We are pleased to share that our review, “Photocatalyst Design for Plastic Upcycling: From Polymer Deconstruction to Selective Valorization,”is now online in Advanced Energy Materials.

Plastic waste represents both a major environmental challenge and an underutilized reservoir of carbon and embedded energy. Photocatalysis offers a promising pathway for converting plastic waste into fuels and value-added chemicals, but its practical development remains limited by slow polymer deconstruction and insufficient product selectivity.

In this review, the authors establish a reaction-oriented framework connecting:

☀️ polymer structures and properties
☀️ plastic deconstruction and conversion pathways
☀️ photocatalyst design requirements
☀️ selective formation of oxygenates, hydrocarbons, aromatics, and C–N products

The review highlights photocatalyst design strategies for improving polymer accessibility and deconstruction, directing the selective conversion of intermediates, and coordinating coupled oxidation and reduction reactions. It also discusses key challenges toward practical plastic photovalorization, including real-world feedstock complexity, carbon efficiency, process viability, and scale-up.

Congratulations to the authors!

Read the article here: https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aenm.71777