Composite photocatalysts for selective photocatalytic oxidation of glycerol

关键的科学挑战之一是开发创新的光催化工艺，在温和的条件下（室温、常压、环境氧化/还原剂），仅由（太阳）光驱动有用的化学转化。虽然在开发用于太阳能水分解和水和空气净化的多相光催化剂方面取得了重大进展，但对导致高价值有机化合物的选择性光催化合成反应知之甚少。最近，我们发明了一种新型复合光催化剂，用于甘油选择性光催化氧化制1,3-二羟基丙酮（DHA）。甘油是生产生物柴油的一种廉价而丰富的废物，而DHA是一种高价值的化合物，例如用于化妆品工业，并且在合成新的可生物降解聚合物方面具有很高的前景。在前期工作的基础上，本项目的主要目标是：1)更深入地了解甘油选择性光催化氧化制DHA的反应机理；2)系统地研究复合光催化剂（光吸收剂+助催化剂）的结构与性能（活性、选择性、稳定性）的相关性。特别注意的是模型复合材料的合成和研究，这些模型复合材料具有良好定义的特性（尺寸，结构）。预计该项目将允许开发具有增强甘油选择性光催化氧化性能的光催化剂，并将为进一步的选择性光催化反应的设计提供重要的新知识。

One of the key scientific challenges is the development of innovative photocatalytic processes for useful chemical transformations driven solely by (sun)light under mild conditions (room temperature, atmospheric pressure, ambient oxidizing/reducing agents). While significant progress has been made in the development of heterogeneous photocatalysts for solar water splitting and the decontamination of water and air, much less is known about selective photocatalytic synthetic reactions leading to high-value organic compounds. Recently, we have invented a new type of composite photocatalysts for use in selective photocatalytic oxidation of glycerol to 1,3-dihydroxyacetone (DHA). While glycerol is a cheap and abundant waste product of biodiesel production, DHA is a high-value chemical compound used, for example, in cosmetic industry and with a high prospect of being used in the synthesis of new biodegradable polymers. Based on our preliminary work, the main objectives of this project are: 1) to provide a deeper understanding of the reaction mechanism of the selective photocatalytic oxidation of glycerol to DHA, and 2) to investigate systematically the correlation between the structure and performance (activity, selectivity, stability) of the composite (light absorber + cocatalyst) photocatalysts. Particular attention will be given to synthesis and investigations of model composites with well-defined properties (size, structure) of the components. It is expected that this project will thus allow for the development of photocatalysts with enhanced performance in selective photocatalytic oxidation of glycerol, and will also provide new knowledge important for the design of further selective photocatalytic reactions.