Development of nanosized materials using organosulphur compounds as building blocks for applications in catalysis and electrocatalysis

Abstract

Over the past few decades, there has been extensive utilization of organosulphur compounds for the development of nanocatalysts for various chemical reactions. A wide array of organosulphur compounds and their preformed molecular complexes with numerous metals (including palladium, cobalt, copper, lead, nickel and silver) have been used for this purpose. Such compounds, complexes and nanocatalysts can be developed using diverse techniques. This article encompasses the strategies employed in designing relevant organosulphur compounds and exploring their utility in developing catalytically active nanomaterials. Various methodologies are discussed for the synthesis of nanomaterials, such as the single source precursor (SSP) method, reduction method for colloidal synthesis and indirect generation of nanoparticles. The intricacies of different synthetic methodologies are revealed in detail in this article. Additionally, the applications of such nanocatalysts in a diverse range of chemical transformations (such as Suzuki coupling, Sonogashira coupling, Heck coupling, C–O coupling reaction, and cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC)) are the main focus of this article. Their use in electrochemical studies is also rationalized in the context of the reactions such as the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and overall water splitting. A critical assessment of the variations in catalytic performances and the mechanistic aspects of nanocatalysis is also included. Moreover, it sheds light on the future perspectives of this field.