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Selective Transfer Coupling of Nitrobenzene to Azoxybenzene on Rh Nanoparticle Catalyst Promoted by Photoexcited Hot Electrons
Author(s) -
Dai Xinyan,
Wei Qilin,
Duong Thao,
Sun Yugang
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
chemnanomat
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.947
H-Index - 32
ISSN - 2199-692X
DOI - 10.1002/cnma.201900182
Subject(s) - nitrobenzene , catalysis , photochemistry , nanoparticle , selectivity , nanocrystal , materials science , electron transfer , photocatalysis , adsorption , absorption (acoustics) , nanometre , chemistry , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , composite material , engineering
The reaction rate and product selectivity of nitrobenzene reduction catalyzed on Rh nanocrystals of several nanometers in size are significantly improved under illumination of visible light. Light absorption in the Rh nanocrystals generates hot electrons that are injected into nitrobenzene molecules adsorbed on the Rh surface, accelerating the reduction of nitrobenzene and favoring the transfer coupling of reduced nitrobenzene intermediates into azoxybenzene. The photocatalytic performance is enhanced by loading the Rh nanocrystals on dielectric silica spheres with sizes of hundreds of nanometers, which exhibit strong surface scattering resonances to increase the light absorption power in the Rh nanocrystals. The large size of silica particles also improves the colloidal stability of the small Rh nanocrystals, benefiting the photocatalytic performance. This study highlights the promise of hot electrons in catalyzing hydrogenation reaction with improved kinetics and selectivity.