Emerging Opportunities of Metal Nanoclusters for Photocatalytic Organic Synthesis

Abstract

Atomically precise metal nanoclusters have emerged as versatile photocatalysts for photo-induced organic reactions owing to their unique photophysical properties, such as broad absorption cross-section, long excited-state lifetime, and tunable excited-state energy and redox ability. Exploiting metal nanoclusters in photocatalytic synthetic organic chemistry has not only provided fresh opportunities to expand the potential applications of these emergent nanomaterials but also offered a compelling alternative catalyst system for fine chemicals synthesis. This review outlines the recent advancements in synthetically useful photocatalytic organic transformations enabled by metal nanoclusters. We begin our discussion with a brief introduction of metal nanoclusters and the fundamental principles of photocatalysis. Then, we discuss the progress in metal nanocluster-mediated photocatalytic organic transformations involving energy transfer and electron transfer, sequentially, with a highlight on the underlying reaction mechanism. At the end, an outlook on the potential future direction in this field is provided.

Keywords

metal nanocluster / nanocluster catalysis / organic synthesis / photocatalysis

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