(256d) Dielectric Mie Resonator Copper Oxide-Based Photocatalysts for Suzuki Coupling Reaction

This study demonstrates the photocatalytic performance of dielectric Mie Resonator Cupric/Cuprous-Oxide based photocatalysts for Suzuki carbon-carbon (C-C) cross coupling reaction. Biphenyl, a key product of this reaction, plays a crucial role in chemical synthesis. It serves as a fundamental building block in the production of essential compounds for the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries. In industrial settings the reaction occurs at elevated temperatures (80–150°C), which requires significant energy input leading to high energy costs. Moreover, relying on fossil fuels as an energy source for this process raises significant environmental concerns. Solar energy, which provides carbon-free energy, is an alternative that can be used to drive this reaction. Efficiently harvesting solar energy has been a worldwide priority as it is abundant, requires low maintenance and has low environmental impacts.

The need for photocatalyst in Suzuki carbon-carbon (C-C) cross coupling reaction has risen in recent years. Currently available photocatalysts are usually plasmonic metal nanoparticles (PMNs) which have several limitations, such as, high cost, limited efficiency and scalability issues. These catalysts typically contain noble metals (e.g., Au and Ag), which are expensive.

Traditionally palladium (Pd)-based catalysts have been known for their efficiency in carbon-carbon (C-C) cross coupling reactions. In recent decades, copper oxide nano-catalysts have garnered significant attention due to copper’s natural abundance, affordability, and lower toxicity compared to precious metal-based nanoparticles. This study demonstrates that due to its dielectric properties the synthesized catalysts CuO, Cu₂O, CuO-Pd, and Cu₂O-Pd successfully achieve up to100% reactant conversion. These catalysts can interact with the electromagnetic properties of light leading to higher efficiency. The Suzuki Coupling reaction was carried out without external heating, using only broadband light source (300-2000 nm) as the energy source, which essentially represents the solar energy spectrum available on earth.