Issue 10, 2025

Photo-induced enhancement of hydrogenation activity for ruthenium nanoparticles immobilized on carbon dots

Abstract

Ruthenium nanoparticles immobilized on environmentally benign luminescent carbon dots act as hydrogenation catalysts, whereby light irradiation results in greatly enhanced activity. Nitrogen-doped carbon dots were prepared by hydrothermal treatment, and served as supports for the organometallic synthesis of 2.1 nm Ru NPs. UV-irradiated Ru@CDs proved 1.5–13 times more active for C[double bond, length as m-dash]C hydrogenation of α–β unsaturated ketones under mild conditions (3.5 bar H2, 60 °C, in water/butan-1-ol) than when used in the dark. Reference experiments and mechanistic investigations rationalize this activity enhancement by a transfer of electron density from the irradiated CDs to the Ru NPs. The strong synergistic effects arising from the combination of CDs and Ru NPs under UV are potentially more broadly accessible with other CDs structures and metal NPs compositions.

Graphical abstract: Photo-induced enhancement of hydrogenation activity for ruthenium nanoparticles immobilized on carbon dots

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
30 Oct 2024
Accepted
30 Dec 2024
First published
10 Jan 2025
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Green Chem., 2025,27, 2666-2671

Photo-induced enhancement of hydrogenation activity for ruthenium nanoparticles immobilized on carbon dots

C. Campalani, M. Durai, W. Leitner and A. Bordet, Green Chem., 2025, 27, 2666 DOI: 10.1039/D4GC05468G

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