Nanocatalysis under Nanoconfinement: A Metal-Free Hybrid Coacervate Nanodroplet as a Catalytic Nanoreactor for Efficient Redox and Photocatalytic Reactions

Author(s):  
Bhawna Saini ◽  
Shivendra Singh ◽  
Tushar Kanti Mukherjee
Catalysts ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 514
Author(s):  
Ran Zhang ◽  
Jing Xian Dong ◽  
Guo Liang Gao ◽  
Xue Lu Wang ◽  
Ye-Feng Yao

The development of novel, noble metal-free semiconductor catalysts with high efficiency is of great importance for the degradation of organic compounds. Among them, amorphous materials have been extensively studied for their unique and commercially useful properties. Here, a completely amorphous, noble metal-free photocatalyst C3N4ZnxOy (x, y = 0.32–1.10) was successfully synthesized from urea and ZnO by a simple high-temperature polymerization method. As the Zn content increased, the short-range ordered structures of the amorphous samples were still retained, as revealed by XPS, FTIR, and ssNMR. Meanwhile, the -CN3 structures were observed to be gradually destroyed, which may make the amorphous state more favorable for photocatalytic reactions. Compared with g-C3N4, the amorphous samples showed significantly reduced intensities in the photoluminescence spectra, indicating that the recombination rate of the photo-generated charge carriers was greatly reduced. It was confirmed that the optimized sample (C3N4Zn0.61O0.61) achieved a photocatalytic efficiency of 86.1% in the degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride under visible light irradiation within 1 h. This is about 2 times higher than that of both g-C3N4 and ZnO. This study emphasizes the importance of the amorphous structure in photocatalytic reactions, and this synthetic strategy may provide an effective model for designing other novel catalysts.


Author(s):  
George C. Ruben

The formation of shadows behind small particles has been thought to be a geometric process (GP) where the metal cap build up on the particle creates a shadow width the same size as or larger than the particle. This GP cannot explain why gold particle shadow widths are generally larger than the gold particle and may have no appreciable metal cap build up (fig. 1). Ruben and Telford have suggested that particle shadow widths are formed by the width dependent deflection of shadow metal (SM) lateral to and infront of the particle. The trajectory of the deflected SM is determined by the incoming shadow angle (45°). Since there can be up to 1.4 times (at 45°) more SM directly striking the particle than the film surface, a ridge of metal nuclei lateral to and infront of the particle can be formed. This ridge in turn can prevent some SM from directly landing in the metal free shadow area. However, the SM that does land in the shadow area (not blocked by the particle or its ridge) does not stick and apparently surface migrates into the SM film behind the particle.


Nanoscale ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (15) ◽  
pp. 8065-8094 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xudong Wen ◽  
Jingqi Guan

Different kinds of electrocatalysts used in NRR electrocatalysis (including single atom catalysts, metal oxide catalysts, nanocomposite catalysts, and metal free catalysts) are introduced.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (21) ◽  
pp. 3515-3520
Author(s):  
Wubing Yao ◽  
Jiali Wang ◽  
Aiguo Zhong ◽  
Shiliang Wang ◽  
Yinlin Shao

The selective catalytic reduction of amides to value-added amine products is a desirable but challenging transformation.


Author(s):  
Fengqian Zhao ◽  
Xiao-Feng Wu

A transition-metal-free radical carbonylation of activated alkylamines with thiophenols has been successfully developed. Various thioesters were selectively produced with moderate to good yields.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rui Guo ◽  
Xiaotian Qi ◽  
Hengye Xiang ◽  
Paul Geaneoates ◽  
Ruihan Wang ◽  
...  

Vinyl fluorides play an important role in drug development as they serve as bioisosteres for peptide bonds and are found in a range of biologically active molecules. The discovery of safe, general and practical procedures to prepare vinyl fluorides remains an important goal and challenge for synthetic chemistry. Here we introduce an inexpensive and easily-handled reagent and report simple, scalable, and metal-free protocols for the regioselective and stereodivergent hydrofluorination of alkynes to access both the E and Z isomers of vinyl fluorides. These conditions were suitable for a diverse collection of alkynes, including several highly-functionalized pharmaceutical derivatives. Mechanistic and DFT studies support C–F bond formation through a vinyl cation intermediate, with the (E)- and (Z)-hydrofluorination products forming under kinetic and thermodynamic control, respectively.<br>


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Tiago Menezes Correia ◽  
Gustavo Piva da Silva ◽  
Camila Menezes Kisukuri ◽  
Elias André ◽  
Bruno Pires ◽  
...  

A metal- and catalyst-free photoinduced radical cascade hydroalkylation of 1,7-enynes has been disclosed. The process is triggered by a SET event involving a photoexcited electron-donor-aceptor complex between NHPI ester and Hantzsch ester, which decomposes to afford a tertiary radical that is readily trapped by the enyne. <a>The method provides an operationally simple, robust and step-economical approach to the construction of diversely functionalized dihydroquinolinones bearing quaternary-centers. A sequential one-pot hydroalkylation-isomerization approach is also allowed giving access to a family of quinolinones. A wide substrate scope and high functional group tolerance was observed in both approaches</a>.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madushani Dharmarwardana ◽  
André F. Martins ◽  
Zhuo Chen ◽  
Philip M. Palacios ◽  
Chance M. Nowak ◽  
...  

Superoxide overproduction is known to occur in multiple disease states requiring critical care yet non-invasive detection of superoxide in deep tissue remains a challenge. Herein, we report a metal-free magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) active contrast agent prepared by “click conjugating” paramagnetic organic radical contrast agents (ORCAs) to the surface of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). While ORCAs are known to be reduced <i>in vivo</i> to an MRI/EPR silent state, their oxidation is facilitated specifically by reactive oxygen species—in particular superoxide—and are largely unaffected by peroxides and molecular oxygen. Unfortunately, single molecule ORCAs typically offer weak MRI contrast. In contrast, our data confirm that the macromolecular ORCA-TMV conjugates show marked enhancement for <i>T<sub>1</sub></i> contrast at low field (<3.0 T), and <i>T<sub>2</sub></i> contrast at high field (9.4 T). Additionally, we demonstrated that the unique topology of TMV allows for “quenchless fluorescent” bimodal probe for concurrent fluorescence and MRI/EPR imaging, which was made possible by exploiting the unique inner and outer surface of the TMV nanoparticle. <a>Finally, we show TMV-ORCAs do not respond to normal cellular respiration, minimizing the likelihood for background, yet still respond to enzymatically produced superoxide in complicated biological fluids like serum.</a>


Author(s):  
Arumugavel Murugan ◽  
Venkata Nagarjuna Babu ◽  
Nagaraj Sabarinathan ◽  
Sharada Duddu. S

Here we report a visible-light-promoted metal-free regioselective C3-H trifluoromehtylation reaction that proceeds via radical mechanism and which supported by control experiments. The combination of photoredox catalysis and hypervalent iodine reagent provides a practical approach for the present trifluoromethylation reaction and synthesis of a library of trifluoromethylated indazoles.


Author(s):  
Mingeun Kim ◽  
Juhye Kang ◽  
Misun Lee ◽  
Jiyeon Han ◽  
Geewoo Nam ◽  
...  

We report a minimalistic redox-based design strategy for engineering compact molecules based on the simplest aromatic framework, benzene, with multi-reactivity against free radicals, metal-free amyloid-β, and metal-bound amyloid-β, implicated in the most common form of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease.


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