Toluene Selective Photo-Oxidation Using Graphitic Carbon Nitride as a Catalyst

• Grant number: 23/06070-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: May 01, 2024
• Status: Discontinued
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Inorganic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Ivo Freitas Teixeira
• Grantee: Carla da Silva Cunha
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 20/14741-6 - Graphitic carbon nitrides as platforms for single-atom photocatalysis: moving towards design principles for improved performance, AP.JP
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/09563-2 - Photocatalytic Conversion of Methane into Formic Acid enabled by FeCl3, BE.EP.MS

Abstract

The oxidation of C-H bonds is one of the great challenges of the chemical industry. Currently, the main processes for converting petroleum-derived hydrocarbons into higher-value compounds occur under drastic conditions, with high temperatures and pressures. To surpass this scenario, photocatalysis is an promising approach to carry out chemical reactions under milder conditions with more efficiency. Crystalline carbon nitrides, in their poly(heptazine imide) form (PHI), have a highly ordered structure, which can coordinate transition metals easily and effectively. The presence of metal atoms can boost the photocatalytic activity of this material for the oxidation of hydrocarbons, such as toluene. The project proposed here focuses on the development of photocatalysts based on crystalline carbon nitrides, with single atoms in their structure, for application in toluene photo-oxidation reactions. This project consists of five main steps: (i) synthesis of carbon nitrides in the PHI form, (ii) coordination of metallic single atoms in the structure of carbon nitrides through the cation exchange method, (iii) characterization of PHI and M-PHI, (iv) photocatalytic tests of M-PHI for toluene photo-oxidation and optimization of reaction conditions and (v) quantification and characterization of products produced by the toluene photo-oxidation reactions.