Copper nanoparticle/carbon quantum dots hybrid as green photocatalyst for high-efficiency oxidation of cyclohexane

Abstract

To develop green catalysts for cyclohexane oxidation with high efficiency and high selectivity is a trend in nanotechnology and nanocatalysis. In this work, we demonstrate that copper nanoparticles/carbon quantum dots (Cu/CQDs) hybrid as photocatalyst exhibits excellent catalytic activity in the oxidation of cyclohexane (conversion based on cyclohexane of 50.2% and selectivity to cyclohexanone of about 78.3%) under a low temperature with tert-butyl hydroperoxide as oxidant. It is worth mentioning that the Cu/CQDs hybrid photocatalyst can be implemented in efficient catalytic oxidation of cyclohexane under a mild condition (60 °C), which may provide a cogent pathway for the development of high-performance catalysts for C–H oxidation.