Enhanced singlet oxygen generation by hybrid Mn-doped nanocomposites for selective photo-oxidation of benzylic alcohols

Zhi Jun Li, Shuya Li, Andrew Hunter Davis, Elan Hofman, Gyu Leem, Weiwei Zheng

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

23 Scopus citations

Abstract

Transition-metal ions doped nanocrystals (NCs), specifically Mn-doped NCs, hold great potential in the field of photocatalysis, especially, to improve photocatalytic performance for singlet oxygen (1O2) generation. Here, we report the design of a novel Mn-doped NC-based nanocomposites, specifically, silica-coated Mn-doped CdS/ZnS NCs decorated with Pt NCs (denoted as Mn-NCs@SiO2-Pt), which enhance photocatalytic 1O2 generation. Owing to the long-lived Mn excited state (on the order of ms), the energy-transfer between Mn-NCs and molecular oxygen is facilitated with the assistance of the Pt NCs adhered to the Mn-NC@SiO2 surface. Therefore, the Mn-NCs@SiO2-Pt composites, integrate the advantages of Mn-doped NCs, a protective silica layer, and Pt NCs to exhibit excellent catalytic activity and selectivity for the selective oxidation of primary benzylic alcohols to aldehydes through an 1O2 engaged oxidation process under visible-light irradiation. This work paves the way for enhancing catalytic performance via facilitated energy transfer relaxation by utilizing the long-lived excited-state of Mn2+ dopant ions in nanocomposites. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1668-1676
Number of pages9
JournalNano Research
Volume13
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1 2020

Keywords

  • doped nanocrystals
  • energy transfer
  • photocatalysis
  • selective oxidation
  • singlet oxygen

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering
  • General Materials Science

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