Single-Site Cu(II/I) Transition Initiated by Photo-Doping for Enhanced Hydrogenation Activity

Abstract

Electronic metal-support interaction (EMSI) is prevalent yet critical for designing heterogeneous catalysts; unfortunately, this effect rapidly decays in the region deviating from the interface and is always coupled with structural changes, bringing great challenges to optimize the catalytic performance. Here reversible Cu(II/I) transition in single-site Cu catalyst initiated by photo-doping is proposed to regulate EMSI. It is found that electron-rich Cu sites at the interface can effectively stabilize the hydride intermediate, leading to up to ~20-fold increase in hydrogenation activity. Photo-induced interfacial doping will open versatile paths to design heterogeneous catalysts for organic transformations.