Issue 26, 2024

UV-light crosslinked photocatalytic polymer gels for batch and continuous flow reactions

Abstract

Using visible light to drive reactions is a growing field due to its potential to provide efficient pathways towards chemical syntheses. In contrast to adding photocatalysts to the reaction mixtures as small molecules, heterogeneous photocatalytic approaches provide the ability to facilitate recovery and reuse after a reaction. Herein, we describe a heterogeneous polymer gel-based photocatalyst comprised of a crosslinked terpolymer. We use an activated ester approach to substitute in an amine-functionalized Eosin Y dye while also providing benzophenone-based moieties which afford for UV-crosslinking via C,H-insertion chemistry. The resulting Eosin Y-gels were analyzed for their ability to oxidize thioanisole and their longevity in subsequent recycles for this reaction was analyzed at various light intensities. We interrogated how the incorporation of additional crosslinkers influences photocatalytic properties. Finally, the utility of Eosin Y-gels in continuous packed bed flow photoreactors was investigated, showing good long-term stability against photobleaching and high yields for extended reaction times.

Graphical abstract: UV-light crosslinked photocatalytic polymer gels for batch and continuous flow reactions

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
19 Mar 2024
Accepted
04 Jun 2024
First published
10 Jun 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Polym. Chem., 2024,15, 2634-2641

UV-light crosslinked photocatalytic polymer gels for batch and continuous flow reactions

S. Freeburne and C. W. Pester, Polym. Chem., 2024, 15, 2634 DOI: 10.1039/D4PY00313F

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements