An efficient photocatalytic synthesis of benzimidazole over cobalt-loaded TiO2 catalysts under solar light irradiation

Abstract

Cobalt-loaded TiO2 (Co-TiO2) based photocatalysts have been successfully used in energy and environmental applications, but their application in synthesis of Benzimidazole from ortho phenylenediamines has never been reported. Benzimidazole is a very important class of heterocyclic compounds and it occupies a unique position in the field of pharmaceutical chemistry. Here, Co-TiO2 photocatalysts were prepared using an impregnation method and characterized by XRD, UV–Vis DRS, FE-SEM, TEM and Raman techniques. The present study explores the photocatalytic synthesis of 2-Aryl Benzimidazoles over cobalt-loaded TiO2 under solar light irradiation. The cobalt-loaded TiO2 catalysts exhibited excellent photocatalytic performance under solar light in the preparation of 2-Aryl Benzimidazoles. This efficient and higher photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the visible light active structure of Co-TiO2 and surface-interacted cobalt species on TiO2 support.