Photo-mediated CO2 conversion to value-added chemicals in flow reactors
PIs: Wu Jie
RF/PhD: Supported in-kind (Li Qingyao and Liu Tao)
Project ID: FY20-15
Investigating several different photo-activation strategies for converting CO2 to value-added chemicals, including photoredox catalysis, photo hydrogen atom transfer process, and merging the photoredox and transition-metal catalysis. Continuous flow reactors will be applied to assist the reaction process by enhance the photo efficiency and mixing efficiency.
The rapidly growing field of visible-light mediated photoredox catalysis offers a valuable platform for the design or discovery of new synthetic transformations. Upon irradiation with low-energy visible-light, photoredox catalysts are able to act as both single-electron oxidants and reductants to introduce reactive open-shell radical species. Moreover, the synergistic combination of photoredox catalysis and hydrogen atom transfer agents or transition-metal catalysis provides distinct modes for activation of organometallic complexes through single-electron transfer (SET) or energy transfer. The goal of the proposed research is to develop green, sustainable, and scalable fine chemical synthesis utilizing CO2 as feedstocks by integrating several novel technologies: i) photo-chemistry (visible-light as clean and sustainable energy source, redox-economic synthesis); ii) engineered continuous-flow reactors (sustainable and scalable process); iii) C-H activation (atom-, step-economic synthesis).
