(25d) Design of Selective Propylene Epoxidation Catalysts: Heterogeneous Catalysts On Optically Excited Plasmonic Metal Nanostructures

Propylene oxide (PO) is an extremely valuable commodity chemical that is commercially produced using expensive and environmentally harmful routes.  The development of an environmentally friendly and selective direct heterogeneous propylene epoxidation process, which uses O2 as the oxidizing reagent, represents a critical challenge for the field of heterogeneous catalysis. In this contribution, we demonstrate that optically excited plasmonic copper catalysts can achieve significantly higher selectivity in the direct epoxidation (using O₂ as an oxidant) of propylene to form PO compared to other conventional heterogeneous catalysts. We will discuss the molecular mechanisms that govern this photocatalytic process and its implications on the family of partial oxidation reactions on coinage metals.

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