In the past decade, the development of organic photocatalysis has provided novel synthetic routes that can be carried out under mild reaction conditions. It offers unique advantages over conventional synthesis methods, e.g., higher energy efficiency and convenient controlling of the reaction process by tuning light illumination. To achieve better controls over the photocatalytic reactions and develop new experimental conditions or new photocatalysts, the fundamental knowledge of the kinetics and mechanism of the photocatalytic cycle is critical. However, the kinetics and mechanism of organic photocatalysis has not been well studied. An important reason is that it is challenging to directly monitor the photocatalytic turnovers at ensemble level. Here, we report the application of single-molecule imaging tool to monitor the photocatalytic turnovers on single photocatalysts in real-time, in which the averaging effect in the ensemble measurements can be eliminated. From the single-molecule data, the kinetics and mechanism information can be extracted, and heterogeneity of the photocatalysts can be evaluated. The method can complement the current analytical methods and be applied to a wide range of photocatalytic reactions.

Single-molecule imaging of organic photocatalysis

ACS Spring 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.