Nanocatalysis: An Emerging Direction for Photo-mediated and Thermal Organic Transformations

Abstract Over the past decade, the applications of nanomaterials have expanded to cover the regime of organic synthesis. The dynamic profile exhibited by these systems has allowed their usage in methodology development. In the lower dimensions, the higher surface-to-volume ratio confers a greater number of active sites escalating the catalytic output. Surface engineering via doping, functionalization, composite formation, size/shape modulation, and so forth allows one to use the same system for different reactions. Industrially, these heterogeneous catalysts are economical and separable from the reaction mixture, allowing easy product purification and their use in subsequent runs. On the other hand, visible light has emerged as a cleaner and greener source of energy, capable of driving organic transformations via electron/energy-transfer processes, which can provide access to critical/unstable/high energy intermediates and even activate relatively inert substrates. Bringing together the aforesaid features in the domain of nanomaterial-mediated photocatalysis offers immense advantages through the design of sustainable and benign strategies for a plethora of organic reactions. In this Account, we have focused chiefly on our contributions toward the use of nanomaterials as (photo)catalysts in organic transformations. We have also highlighted some of the key challenges in this domain, which pave the way for subsequent innovations.