Carbonaceous Material Modified MoO<sub>2</sub> Nanospheres with Oxygen Vacancies for Enhanced Visible-Light Photocatalytic Oxidative Coupling of Benzylamine

Yuhong Chang; Yanxia Zhang; Tianjun Hu; Wenwen Chen; Tao Tang; Ergui Luo; Jianfeng Jia

doi:10.3390/molecules28124739

Molecules (Jun 2023)

Carbonaceous Material Modified MoO<sub>2</sub> Nanospheres with Oxygen Vacancies for Enhanced Visible-Light Photocatalytic Oxidative Coupling of Benzylamine

Yuhong Chang,
Yanxia Zhang,
Tianjun Hu,
Wenwen Chen,
Tao Tang,
Ergui Luo,
Jianfeng Jia

Affiliations

Yuhong Chang: Key Laboratory of Magnetic Molecules and Magnetic Information Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Materials Science of Shanxi Normal University, Taiyuan 030032, China
Yanxia Zhang: Key Laboratory of Magnetic Molecules and Magnetic Information Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Materials Science of Shanxi Normal University, Taiyuan 030032, China
Tianjun Hu: Key Laboratory of Magnetic Molecules and Magnetic Information Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Materials Science of Shanxi Normal University, Taiyuan 030032, China
Wenwen Chen: Key Laboratory of Magnetic Molecules and Magnetic Information Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Materials Science of Shanxi Normal University, Taiyuan 030032, China
Tao Tang: Key Laboratory of Magnetic Molecules and Magnetic Information Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Materials Science of Shanxi Normal University, Taiyuan 030032, China
Ergui Luo: Key Laboratory of Magnetic Molecules and Magnetic Information Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Materials Science of Shanxi Normal University, Taiyuan 030032, China
Jianfeng Jia: Key Laboratory of Magnetic Molecules and Magnetic Information Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Materials Science of Shanxi Normal University, Taiyuan 030032, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28124739
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 28, no. 12
p. 4739

Abstract

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Surface oxygen vacancy (OV) plays a pivotal role in the activation of molecular oxygen and separation of electrons and holes in photocatalysis. Herein, carbonaceous materials-modified MoO2 nanospheres with abundant surface OVs (MoO2/C-OV) were successfully synthesized via glucose hydrothermal processes. In situ introduction of carbonaceous materials triggered a reconstruction of the MoO2 surface, which introduced abundant surface OVs on the MoO2/C composites. The surface oxygen vacancies on the obtained MoO2/C-OV were confirmed via electron spin resonance spectroscopy (ESR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The surface OVs and carbonaceous materials boosted the activation of molecular oxygen to singlet oxygen (1O2) and superoxide anion radical (•O2−) in selectively photocatalytic oxidation of benzylamine to imine. The conversion of benzylamine was 10 times that of pristine MoO2 nanospheres with a high selectivity under visible light irradiation at 1 atm air pressure. These results open an avenue to modify Mo-based materials for visible light-driven photocatalysis.

Published in Molecules

ISSN: 1420-3049 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science: Chemistry: Organic chemistry
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules

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