Double reactive oxygen species system photoinduced by Cu8 NCs: synergistic catalysis of phenylacetylene self-coupling reaction

Abstract

Atomically precise nanoclusters (NCs) can serve as an excellent platform for a comprehensive understanding of structure–property relationships. Herein, three structurally similar Cu₈ NCs (Cu₈-1, Cu₈-2 and Cu₈-3) have been prepared for the photocatalytic phenylacetylene self-coupling reaction. It was found that Cu₈-1 NC achieved the highest turnover number (TON) of 524.4, significantly higher than those of most reported catalysts. Herein, we propose a reasonable two-channel ROS participation mechanism by free radical scavenging and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) trapping experiments. This study provides a feasible strategy for exploring the photoinduced oxidative coupling of phenylacetylene, and provides a way for designing photocatalysts.