am5b05633_si_001.pdf (3 MB)
Near-Infrared Light Manipulated Chemoselective Reductions Enabled by an Upconversional Supersandwich Nanostructure
journal contribution
posted on 2015-09-02, 00:00 authored by Zi-en Liu, Jie Wang, Yan Li, Xiaoxia Hu, Junwen Yin, Yeqing Peng, Zhihao Li, Yawen Li, Baomin Li, Quan YuanCore–satellite
is one of the most powerful superstructures since it leads to enhanced
or completely new properties through compatible combination of each
component. Here we create a novel ceria-based core–shell–satellite
supersandwich structure with near-infrared (NIR) light manipulated
catalytic activity by integrating the upconversion luminescent and
catalytic functionality of CeO2 nanoparticles. Specifically,
lanthanide-doped octahedral CeO2 nanoparticles (o-CeO2) are coated with silica layer (o-CeO2@SiO2) to enhance their luminescence intensity. The pH-dependent
catalytic active cubic CeO2 nanoparticles (c-CeO2) are then assembled on the surface of o-CeO2@SiO2 to form the supersandwich structure (o-CeO2@SiO2@c-CeO2) following a classic chemical reaction.
The upconversion quantum yield of o-CeO2 in this nanostructure
can be nearly doubled. Furthermore, under NIR light irradiation, the
o-CeO2@SiO2@c-CeO2 supersandwich
structure based composite catalyst displays superior catalytic activity
in selective reduction of aromatic nitro compounds to corresponding
azo compounds, and the composite photocatalyst can be easily recycled
for several times without significant loss of catalytic activity.
This strategy may serve as a universal method for the construction
of multifunctional nanostructures and shed light on the green chemistry
for chemical synthesis.