Photocatalytic Oxidative Coupling Research Articles

Graphitic carbon nitride-PTD hybrid catalyst for efficient photocatalytic oxidative coupling of arylamine for the production of azoaromatic under visible light

Oxidative coupling of amine derivatives to selectively synthesize pharmaceutical materials has been realized via photocatalysis. Herein we report on the fabrication and development of a graphitic carbon nitride (G) based visible light active photocatalyst (G-PTD), which is melamine converted graphitic carbon nitride(G) covalently integrated to a light harvesting perylene tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTD) molecule. The synthesized photocatalyst has various functions in a highly active manner leading to high yield of newly generated azoaromatic compound. The current research endeavour highlights on the fabrication and utilization of a graphitic carbon nitride based photocatalyst for direct oxidative coupling of arylamines.

Synthesis of Zn0.2Cd0.8S/MoS2/rGO photocatalyst for efficient solar-driven selective organic conversion

ZnxCd(1-x)S solid solution was constructed by introducing zinc ions in the process of hydrothermal synthesis of CdS. To further improve the catalyst activity, Zn0.2Cd0.8S was combined with graphene and MoS2, and then the Zn0.2Cd0.8S/MoS2/rGO ternary composites were obtained. Its photocatalytic reactivity was evaluated by the catalytic oxidative coupling of benzylamine and the photocatalytic semi-dehydrogenation of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline (THIQ). When Zn0.2Cd0.8S/MoS2/rGO was used in photocatalytic benzylamine oxidative coupling reaction, the conversion reached 95 % after 7 h and the selectivity of N-benzyl-1-phenylmethylimide (BPMI) was 99 %. It was further applied to the photocatalytic semi-dehydrogenation of THIQ, the conversion reached 96 % after 7 h reaction in O2 atmosphere, and the selectivity of 3,4-dihydroisoquinoline (DHIQ) reached 99 %. The heterojunction between Zn0.2Cd0.8S and MoS2 can effectively reduce the recombination efficiency of carrier. The introduction of graphene can increase the active site and promote the transfer of photogenerated electrons. The synergistic effect of MoS2 and graphene makes Zn0.2Cd0.8S have outstanding photocatalytic performance. Cycling experiments show that the ternary composite photocatalyst of Zn0.2Cd0.8S/MoS2/rGO have high stability and recyclability. The possible reaction mechanism of photocatalytic oxidative coupling of benzylamine and semi-dehydrogenation of THIQ was proposed by theoretical calculations and the active species capturing experiments.

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Triphenylamine and its derivatives (TPAs) are promising for the photocatalytic oxidative coupling of thiols to disulfides, but suffer from the easy polymerization and difficult separation. In this paper, by immobilizing the TPAs into MOF with photoredox inert Sr nodes, the photo‐generated electrons were successfully controlled to transfer from the excited TPAs to O2, and finally realize the heterogeneous catalytic oxidation of thiols to disulfides. More details are discussed in the article by Zhang et al. on page 1093—1099.image

Donor‐Acceptor Pyrene‐Based Covalent Organic Framework for Blue Light Photocatalytic Oxidative Coupling of Amines

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with a donor‐acceptor (D‐A) architecture have been investigated as prospective semiconducting materials, particularly for photocatalytic processes. The incorporation of electron donating and accepting moieties into the COF backbone creates nano heterojunctions, enhancing efficient light absorption, charge separation, and charge transport. Herein, three pyrene‐based COFs were well designed for the aerobic coupling of amines under air atmosphere with blue‐LED irradiation. Among the three COFs, the Py‐Por‐COF with D‐A structure exhibits the highest photocatalytic performance and demonstrates a remarkable apparent quantum efficiency of 11.3 % at 420 nm. In addition, the Py‐Por‐COF maintains a good level of crystallinity and high yield even undergone four cycles, showcasing the exceptional potential of D‐A structure COFs in the field of photocatalytic organic transformation.

Confined synthesis of conjugated microporous polymers for selective photocatalytic oxidation of amines

Photocatalytic oxidative coupling of amines is considered a mild, efficient, and sustainable strategy for the synthesis of imines. As a versatile organic semiconductor, conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) are attractive in photocatalysis areas due to the diversity of their polymeric monomers. Herein, we report that in addition to the design of monomers, size-confined polymerization is also a feasible strategy to modulate the structure and photocatalysis properties of CMPs. We adopted dibromopyrazine as polymeric units to prepare pyrazine-involved hollow spherical CMPs (H-PyB) using a template method and successfully performed size-confined polymerization of hollow samples by resizing the templates. Interestingly, the small confinement space induced the formation of CMPs with better conjugate extensibility, resulting in enhanced conductivity, narrowed bandgaps, improved photoelectric performance, etc. As a result, small-sized H-PyB CMPs had superior activity for the photocatalytic oxidation of amines. Particularly, the smallest H-PyB CMPs that we designed in the present work exhibited excellent performance for the photocatalytic coupling oxidation of amines. When using benzylamine as a model substrate, the yield of the corresponding imine reached ∼ 113 mmol·g−1·h−1, accompanied by almost 100 % selectivity. Furthermore, the as-designed confined samples exhibited stable photocatalytic activity as well as good applicability for oxidative coupling of different amines. This work not merely reports a kind of CMP photocatalysts with excellent performance for the imine coupling oxidation but also proposes an alternative strategy for constructing high-performance organic photocatalysts by size-confined synthesis.

Directional Activation of Oxygen by the Au-Loaded ZnAl-LDH with Defect Structure for Highly Efficient Photocatalytic Oxidative Coupling of Methane.

Photocatalytic oxidative coupling of CH4 (OCM) is a promising CH4 conversion process that can achieve efficient methane conversion with the assistance of O2 . It remains to be highly challenging to improve the photocatalytic OCM activity from catalyst design and to deepen the understanding of the reactant activation in the OCM process. In this work, the Au-loaded ZnAl-layered double hydroxides (LDHs) with and without oxygen vacancy are constructed (denoted as Au/ZnAl and Au/ZnAl-v), respectively. When applied for photocatalytic OCM, the Au/ZnAl-v shows a CH4 conversion rate of 8.5 mmol g-1 h-1 with 92% selectivity of C2 H6 at 40°C, outperforming most reported photocatalytic OCM systems at low temperature reported in the literature. Furthermore, the catalytic performance of Au/ZnAl-v can be stable for 100h. In contrast, the An/ZnAl exhibits a CH4 conversion rate of 0.8 mmol g-1 h-1 with 46% selectivity of C2 H6 . Detailed characterizations and DFT calculation studies reveal that the introduced Ov sites on Au/ZnAl-v are able to activate O2 , and the resulting superoxide radical O2 ·- greatly promotes the activation of CH4 . The coupling of CH3 · groups with the assistance of Au cocatalyst leads to the formation of C2 H6 with high photocatalytic activity.

Immobilizing Triphenylamine with Photoredox Inert Sr2+ Forming Sr‐MOF with Controlled Electron Migration for Photocatalytic Oxidation of Thiols to Disulfides

Comprehensive SummaryThe photocatalytic oxidative coupling of thiols is one of the most popular methods to synthesize the disulfides. Triphenylamine and its derivatives (TPAs) are promising for the above reaction, but suffer from the easy polymerization and difficult separation. To overcome these obstacles while controlling the photogenerated electrons transfer directly to target substrates, herein, we constructed one TPA‐based metal‐organic framework (MOF), (Me2NH2)[Sr(TCBPA)]·DMA·3H2O (1), by direct self‐assembly of tris(4′‐carboxybiphenyl)amine (H3TCBPA) and photoredox inert strontium ion (Sr2+). DFT calculations revealed that the valence band maximum (VBM) and the conduction band minimum (CBM) are mainly located on TCBPA3–, successfully inhibiting the undesirable electron migration to metal nodes. Experimental results indicated that 1 displays superior performance than homogeneous H3TCBPA, which may result from the abundant π···π and C—H···π interactions between the well‐arranged TCBPA3– and the build‐in electric field between the anionic framework and the Me2NH2+. This work highlights that immobilizing TPAs into MOFs is one promising approach to designing heterogeneous photocatalysts for the synthesis of disulfides by oxidative coupling of thiols.

Selective oxidative coupling of amines through light‐activated bismuth halide perovskites

AbstractBismuth halide perovskites have emerged as promising alternatives for sustainable and efficient photocatalysts for light‐induced organic transformations. Caesium bismuth halide perovskites (Cs3Bi2(ClxBr1‐x)9) with different ratios of chloride and bromide were synthesised using a one‐step solution process. These perovskites were then employed as photocatalysts for the photocatalytic oxidative coupling of benzylamine (BZA) to produce N‐benzylidenebenzylamine (BZI) under ultraviolet‐visible light radiation at ambient conditions. The incorporation of bromide ions into the chloride‐based perovskite resulted in a noticeable reduction in the bandgap, leading to an enhancement in the photocatalytic activity. Conversely, the addition of chloride ions within the bromide‐based perovskite was found to be beneficial for the material's photostability while simultaneously maintaining its high photocatalytic activity. The optimal compromise between the stability and photocatalytic activity for the BZI production was achieved using Cs3Bi2(Cl0.8Br0.2)9, being attained a total BZA conversion and the maximum BZI production with 100 % of selectivity after 6 hours of irradiation. The efficiency of this photocatalyst was ascribed to the highest current density observed during the photocurrent experiments, which improves the charge carrier mobility of the resulting material.

Continuous Flow System for Highly Efficient and Durable Photocatalytic Oxidative Coupling of Methane.

Photocatalytic oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) into value-added industrial chemicals offers an appealing green technique for achieving sustainable development, whereas it encounters double bottlenecks in relatively low methane conversion rate and severe overoxidation. Herein, we engineer a continuous gas flow system to achieve efficient photocatalytic OCM while suppressing overoxidation by synergizing the moderate active oxygen species, surface plasmon-mediated polarization, and multipoint gas intake flow reactor. Particularly, a remarkable CH4 conversion rate of 218.2 μmol h-1 with an excellent selectivity of ∼90% toward C2+ hydrocarbons and a remarkable stability over 240 h is achieved over a designed Au/TiO2 photocatalyst in our continuous gas flow system with a homemade three-dimensional (3D) printed flow reactor. This work provides an informative concept to engineer a high-performance flow system for photocatalytic OCM by synergizing the design of the reactor and photocatalyst to synchronously regulate the mass transfer, activation of reactants, and inhibition of overoxidation.

Accurate assembly of thiophene-bridged titanium-oxo clusters with photocatalytic amine oxidation activity.

Designing and synthesizing well-defined crystalline catalysts for the photocatalytic oxidative coupling of amines to imines remains a great challenge. In this work, a crystalline dumbbell-shaped titanium oxo cluster, [Ti10O6(Thdc)(Dmg)2(iPrO)22] (Ti10, Thdc = 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylic acid, Dmg = dimethylglyoxime, iPrOH = isopropanol), was constructed through a facile one-pot solvothermal strategy and treated as a catalyst for the photocatalytic oxidative coupling of amines. In this structure, Thdc serves as the horizontal bar, while the {Ti5Dmg} layers on each side act as the weight plates. The molecular structure, light absorption, and photoelectrochemical properties of Ti10 were systematically investigated. Remarkably, the inclusion of the Thdc ligand, with the assistance of the Dmg ligand, broadens the light absorption spectrum of Ti10, extending it into the visible range. Furthermore, the effective enhancement of charge transfer within the Ti10 was achieved with the successful incorporation of the Thdc ligand, as opposed to PTC-211, where terephthalic acid replaces the Thdc ligand, while maintaining consistency in other aspects of Ti10. Building on this foundation, Ti10 was employed as a heterogeneous molecular photocatalyst for the catalytic oxidative coupling reaction of benzylamine (BA), demonstrating very high conversion activity and selectivity. Our study illustrates that the inclusion of ligands derived from Thdc enhances the efficiency of charge transfer in functionalized photocatalysts, significantly influencing the performance of photocatalytic organic conversion.

Imine-linked donor–acceptor metal–organic frameworks for an efficient photocatalytic oxidative coupling reaction

We report two imine-linked donor–acceptor (D–A) MOFs with Cu(i) cyclic trinuclear units (CTUs) via Schiff base condensations and their high photocatalytic activity for aerobic oxidation reaction of benzylamines.

Low-temperature synthesis of porous organic polymers with donor-acceptor structure and β-ketoenamine for photocatalytic oxidative coupling of amines.

In light of the widespread use of fossil fuels and the resulting environmental pollution, it is crucial to develop efficient photocatalysts for renewable energy applications that utilize visible light. Organic photocatalysts based on β-ketoenamine offer several advantages, including facile preparation, high stability, structural controllability, and excellent photovoltaic properties. However, in previous studies, the synthesis of porous organic polymers (POPs) often involved long, high-temperature processes. In this study, POPs with donor (D)-acceptor (A) structure were constructed by utilizing various branched bridging groups and 2,4,6-triformylphloroglucinol, across multiple temperature gradients. Through adjustments in hydrothermal temperature, we successfully synthesized a series of POPs with varying enol-keto structure ratios. Among these POPs, the dimethoxybenzidine-POPs (DMDPOPs) with methoxy electron-rich branched chains exhibited superior photovoltaic performance, electron transfer rate, and photocatalytic activity compared to the dihydroxybenzidine-POPs (DHDPOPs) with electron-deficient hydroxyl branched chains. Notably, DMDPOP-30 demonstrated outstanding performance, achieving a conversion rate of 98% within 3 h. Additionally, other POPs exhibited favorable conversions (90%), further confirming the feasibility of this synthetic approach. Moreover, the synthesis of DMDPOP-30 was achieved under mild conditions at room temperature, highlighting its significant potential for practical applications.

Facile synthesis of naphthalene-based porous organic salts for photocatalytic oxidative coupling of amines in air

Facile synthesis of an extended π-conjugated naphthalene-based porous organic salt for the visible-light-driven photocatalytic oxidative coupling of amines in air.

Photocatalytic oxidative coupling of terminal alkynes with p-benzoquinone to diaryl ketones by the Cu(I)-PS-POM assembling system through synergistic effect

Photocatalytic C–C bonds formation is an effective approach to synthesize the significant drug intermediates diaryl ketones. Herein, a new polyoxometalate-based metal–organic framework (POMOF), CuW6–TPT, was synthesized by assembling an oxidation catalyst [W6O19]2− into photoactive MOF constructed by photosensitizer (PS) 4,6-tri(4-pyridyl)-1,3,5-triazine (TPT) and binuclear Cu(I) units. CuW6–TPT exhibits excellent light absorption ability and unique conductivity due to the coordination bond, strong π∙∙∙π interactions and H-bonding among Cu(I) ions, TPT moieties and [W6O19]2− in the defined spatial. The abundant exposed Cu(I) catalytic centres are conductive to activate phenylacetylene in situ formation Cu(I)-phenylacetylide, which then undergoes a reductive single electron transfer (SET) process to obtain the key intermediate Cu(II)-phenylactetylide for the Paterno-Buchi (2+2) cycloaddition with benzoquinone to form the labile Cu(II)-oxetane ring. It is a direct route to synthesize diaryl ketones with a hydroxyl group from simple starting materials such as terminal alkynes with p-benzoquinone.

Unprecedented Selective Synthesis of Imines by Photocatalytic Oxidative Coupling of Primary Amines under N2O Atmosphere**

AbstractIn a climate change context, N2O contributes to global warming with CO2 and CH4. As an inert molecule, its upgrading as oxidant still constitutes a challenge in chemical synthesis. Here, the synthesis of imines was unprecedently performed using nitrous oxide (N2O) as a novel and highly selective oxidative agent for the photocatalytic homo‐coupling of amines. In a similar way, unsymmetric imines were produced through cross‐coupling of amines with alcohols. Promisingly, this greenhouse gas showed excellent performances towards the target reactions when photocatalytically activated at atmospheric pressure, with silver photodeposited on titanium dioxide as catalyst. Relevantly, reactions under N2O atmosphere exhibited high conversion rates and turn‐over frequencies, and higher selectivities than the ones carried out under a dioxygen atmosphere. Mechanisms for both reactions were detailed, showing the release of nitrogen and water as benign by‐products.

Photocatalytic Hydroalkylation and Oxidative Coupling of Phenylacetylenes Catalyzed by a Cu@MOF Composite

Photocatalytic Hydroalkylation and Oxidative Coupling of Phenylacetylenes Catalyzed by a Cu@MOF Composite

Rational design of bimetallic sites in covalent organic frameworks for efficient photocatalytic oxidative coupling of amines

The conversion of organic compounds by photocatalysis under mild conditions is an environment-friendly alternative for organic transformations. In this work, the bimetallic covalent organic framework coordinated by Sr2+ and Fe2+ in the porphyrin centers with molar ratio of 2:1 (COF-Sr2Fe1) was synthesized through a two-step reaction. Under the synergistic regulation of Sr2+ and Fe2+, the separation of photogenerated charges and visible light absorption for COF-Sr2Fe1 were significantly promoted, and thus COF-Sr2Fe1 exhibited efficient photocatalytic performance towards benzylamine oxidative coupling reaction with a yield of 97 %, much higher than that of the nonmetallic covalent organic framework COF-366. Moreover, it was found that the Fe site displayed higher dehydrogenation ability and the Sr site displayed higher CN coupling ability through the density functional theory (DFT) calculations, thereby making the dehydrogenation and CN coupling steps more controllable for benzylamine oxidative coupling reaction by COF-Sr2Fe1. This work provides a strategy for designing efficient covalent organic frameworks photocatalysts, and helps to understand the oxidative coupling of amines more deeply.

PdCu nanoalloy decorated photocatalysts for efficient and selective oxidative coupling of methane in flow reactors

Methane activation by photocatalysis is one of the promising sustainable technologies for chemical synthesis. However, the current efficiency and stability of the process are moderate. Herein, a PdCu nanoalloy (~2.3 nm) was decorated on TiO2, which works for the efficient, stable, and selective photocatalytic oxidative coupling of methane at room temperature. A high methane conversion rate of 2480 μmol g−1 h−1 to C2 with an apparent quantum efficiency of ~8.4% has been achieved. More importantly, the photocatalyst exhibits the turnover frequency and turnover number of 116 h−1 and 12,642 with respect to PdCu, representing a record among all the photocatalytic processes (λ > 300 nm) operated at room temperature, together with a long stability of over 112 hours. The nanoalloy works as a hole acceptor, in which Pd softens and weakens C-H bond in methane and Cu decreases the adsorption energy of C2 products, leading to the high efficiency and long-time stability.

Regulating Keto–Enol Tautomerism of β-Ketoenamine Covalent–Organic Frameworks for Photocatalytic Oxidative Coupling of Amines

Regulating Keto–Enol Tautomerism of β-Ketoenamine Covalent–Organic Frameworks for Photocatalytic Oxidative Coupling of Amines

Photocatalytic Oxidative Coupling of Methane over Au1 Ag Single-Atom Alloy Modified ZnO with Oxygen and Water Vapor: Synergy of Gold and Silver.

C-H dissociation and C-C coupling are two key steps in converting CH4 into multi-carbon compounds. Here we report a synergy of Au and Ag to greatly promote C2 H6 formation over Au1 Ag single-atom alloy nanoparticles (Au1 Ag NPs)-modified ZnO catalyst via photocatalytic oxidative coupling of methane (POCM) with O2 and H2 O. Atomically dispersed Au in Au1 Ag NPs effectively promotes the dissociation of O2 and H2 O into *OOH, promoting C-H activation of CH4 on the photogenerated O- to form *CH3 . Electron-deficient Au single atoms, as hopping ladders, also facilitate the migration of electron donor *CH3 from ZnO to Au1 Ag NPs. Finally, *CH3 coupling can readily occur on Ag atoms of Au1 Ag NPs. An excellent C2 H6 yield of 14.0 mmol g-1 h-1 with a selectivity of 79 % and an apparent quantum yield of 14.6 % at 350 nm is obtained via POCM with O2 and H2 O, which is at least two times that of the photocatalytic system. The bimetallic synergistic strategy offers guidance for future catalyst design for POCM with O2 and H2 O.