Recent advances in porous molecular cages for photocatalytic organic conversions

Abstract

Photocatalytic organic conversion is considered an efficient, environmentally friendly, and energy-saving strategy for organic synthesis. In recent decades, the molecular cage has emerged as a creative functional material with broad applications in host–guest recognition, drug delivery, catalysis, intelligent materials and other fields. Based on the unique properties of porous molecular cage materials, they provide an ideal platform for leveraging pre-structuring in catalytic reactions and show great potential in various photocatalytic organic reactions. As a result, they have emerged as promising alternatives to conventional molecules or inorganic photocatalysts in redox processes. In this Review, the synthesis strategies based on coordination cages and organic cages, as well as their recent progress in photocatalytic organic conversion, are comprehensively summarized. Finally, we deliver the persistent challenges associated with porous molecular cage compounds that need to be overcome for further development in this field.