Metal chalcogenide quantum dots (QDs) are a group of emerging visible light photocatalysts because they were found to achieve unique organic chemical transformations that are impossible using conventional molecular photocatalysts. Here, we developed CdS QD gel, a three-dimensional network of interconnected QDs, as a highly efficient photocatalyst for organic synthesis. CdS gels are expected to have more facile charge transfer with substrates than QDs, due to the partial removal of ligands from the QD surface during gelation. Our study found that the photocatalytic activity of CdS gels was indeed superior to trioctylphosphine (TOP)- and thioglycolic acid (TGA)-capped CdS QDs for dehalogenation, α-amine, and α-amide arylation reactions. More interestingly, we discovered that the QD gels also offered new chemical reactivity, for example, aryl cyanide isomerization and tetrahydroisoquinoline ring-opening via C-N scission, which was not previously observed using conventional molecular photocatalysts.

Quantum dot gel for photocatalytic organic synthesis

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ACS Fall 2022

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