CeO2 quantum dots/LZU1 Z-scheme heterojunction for photocatalytic selective oxidative coupling of benzylamines

• Published in: Journal of rare earths 2024-07
• Main Authors: Hu, Yezi, Sang, Rusong, Chu, Feng, Shen, Zewen, Zhao, Guixia, Yue, Junrong, Huang, Xiubing
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: amine coupling; CeO2 quantum dots; Covalent-organic frameworks; Photocatalytic oxidation; Rare earths; Z-scheme heterojunction structure
• ISSN: 1002-0721; 2509-4963
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jre.2024.07.010

Imines play a pivotal role as multifunctional intermediates in pharmaceutical and biological applications, and their selective synthesis under mild conditions has attracted increasing interest. In this study, a covalent-organic frameworks (COFs) modified with CeO2 quantum dots (QDs) were prepared through a simple chemical reaction using LZU1 COFs and Ce(NO3)3·6H2O serving as precursors. The optimized 5CeO2QDs@LZU1 decorated with about 3.9 wt% CeO2 QDs demonstrates excellent performance in the photocatalytic selective oxidative of amines in visible light conditions, achieving nearly 100% benzylamine conversion and over 99% imine selectivity within 6 h, which is significantly superior to that of pure LZU1 and CeO2. The remarkable enhancement in activity is mainly attributed to the fact that the interaction between CeO2 QDs and LZU1 COF in 5CeO2QDs@LZU1 improves the visible light response and concurrently promotes the separation efficiency of photogenerated e‒ and h+ pairs. Broad substrate scope also provides a prospect for the industrial synthesis of various imines. Our findings not only expand the application range of COFs by incorporating QDs but also lay the groundwork for their further rational design and optimization. Imines were efficiently and selectively synthesized via photocatalytic oxidative of benzylamine coupling over a novel Z-scheme heterojunction catalyst by depositing CeO2 QDs onto LZU1. [Display omitted]