Defective Ultrathin ZnIn2S4 for Photoreductive Deuteration of Carbonyls Using D2O as the Deuterium Source

Deuterium (D) labeling is of great value in organic synthesis, pharmaceutical industry, and materials science. However, the state-of-the-art deuteration methods generally require noble metal catalysts, expensive deuterium sources, or harsh reaction conditions. Herein, noble metal-free and ultrathin ZnIn2S4 (ZIS) is reported as an effective photocatalyst for visible light-driven reductive deuteration of carbonyls to produce deuterated alcohols using heavy water (D2O) as the sole deuterium source. Defective two-dimensional ZIS nanosheets (D-ZIS) are prepared in a surfactant assisted bottom-up route exhibited much enhanced performance than the pristine ZIS counterpart. A systematic study is carried out to elucidate the contributing factors and it is found that the in situ surfactant modification enabled D-ZIS to expose more defect sites for charge carrier separation and active D-species generation, as well as high specific surface area, all of which are beneficial for the desirable deuteration reaction. This work highlights the great potential in developing low-cost semiconductor-based photocatalysts for organic deuteration in D2O, circumventing expensive deuterium reagents and harsh conditions.

Automated summary

This study introduces a noble metal-free and ultrathin ZnIn2S4 photocatalyst for deuteration reactions using heavy water as the sole deuterium source. By synthesizing defective two-dimensional ZIS nanosheets with surfactant assistance, the performance is significantly enhanced.