Isomorphic Cu‐Doped Ag Nanoclusters for Water‐Modulated Conversion of Propargylic Alcohols and CO 2 to Cyclic Carbonates or α‐Hydroxy Ketones

ABSTRACT Developing a single catalytic system capable of producing distinct high‐value products from the same feedstock under mild conditions remains a formidable challenge. Here, we report a heterogeneous catalyst based on a copper‐doped silver nanocluster (Ag 3 Cu 2 /CNT) engineered via isomorphic doping. Its unique structure features fully exposed Ag─Cu dual sites, with its core innovation lying in the highly efficient catalysis of the water‐modulated conversion of propargylic alcohols and CO 2 , selectively yielding cyclic carbonates (98%) under anhydrous conditions or α‐hydroxy ketones (96.8%) with added water, both with record turnover numbers (>19 000) at gram scale. Crucially, through atomic‐precision paired comparison with an isostructural Ag 5 /CNT, we directly attribute the superior performance to synergistic Ag─Cu sites, where Cu preferentially anchors the alkyne group. Combined spectroscopic, intermediate‐trapping, and computational studies reveal that water modulates the reaction pathway, while the instability of the undoped Ag 5 cluster stems from dynamic Ag─S bond cleavage. This work establishes a scalable catalytic platform and provides a general design strategy—isomorphic heteroatom doping coupled with site exposure—for constructing predictable, tunable, and stable heterogeneous cluster catalysts.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Functional Materials
Published
2026-10-27
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.79252
Primary Topic
Carbon dioxide utilization in catalysis
Type
article
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article

Isomorphic Cu‐Doped Ag Nanoclusters for Water‐Modulated Conversion of Propargylic Alcohols and CO 2 to Cyclic Carbonates or α‐Hydroxy Ketones

Ying Lv, Dongsheng Song, Hongting Sheng, Haizhu Yu et al.
Advanced Functional Materials
Carbon dioxide utilization in catalysis
article

Isomorphic Cu‐Doped Ag Nanoclusters for Water‐Modulated Conversion of Propargylic Alcohols and CO 2 to Cyclic Carbonates or α‐Hydroxy Ketones

Ying Lv, Dongsheng Song, Hongting Sheng, Haizhu Yu, Manzhou Zhu, Haifeng Li, Yao Qin, Bingbing Wen, Yang Wang, Lin Li, Changhui Hou
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Developing a single catalytic system capable of producing distinct high‐value products from the same feedstock under mild conditions remains a formidable challenge. Here, we report a heterogeneous catalyst based on a copper‐doped silver nanocluster (Ag 3 Cu 2 /CNT) engineered via isomorphic doping. Its unique structure features fully exposed Ag─Cu dual sites, with its core innovation lying in the highly efficient catalysis of the water‐modulated conversion of propargylic alcohols and CO 2 , selectively yielding cyclic carbonates (98%) under anhydrous conditions or α‐hydroxy ketones (96.8%) with added water, both with record turnover numbers (>19 000) at gram scale. Crucially, through atomic‐precision paired comparison with an isostructural Ag 5 /CNT, we directly attribute the superior performance to synergistic Ag─Cu sites, where Cu preferentially anchors the alkyne group. Combined spectroscopic, intermediate‐trapping, and computational studies reveal that water modulates the reaction pathway, while the instability of the undoped Ag 5 cluster stems from dynamic Ag─S bond cleavage. This work establishes a scalable catalytic platform and provides a general design strategy—isomorphic heteroatom doping coupled with site exposure—for constructing predictable, tunable, and stable heterogeneous cluster catalysts.

Advanced Functional Materials
Fuyang Normal University (CN), Anhui University (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 28%
Carbon dioxide utilization in catalysis
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Isomorphic Cu‐Doped Ag Nanoclusters for Water‐Modulated Conversion of Propargylic Alcohols and CO 2 to Cyclic Carbonates or α‐Hydroxy Ketones — Ying Lv, Dongsheng Song, et al. · Advanced Functional Materials (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS