Photocatalytic oxidative amine coupling using polyhedral SrTiO3 crystals

Abstract

SrTiO₃ {100}-truncated rhombic dodecahedra, edge-truncated cubes, and cubes were synthesized for photocatalytic oxidative amine coupling of benzylamine. The crystals exhibit size- and facet-dependent optical behaviors, attributed to their cell constant variations. {100}-Truncated rhombic dodecahedra are a more superior photocatalyst than edge-truncated cubes and cubes, achieving 100% yield of N-benzylidenebenzylamine in acetonitrile under 390 nm light illumination. They can also catalyze benzylamines bearing diverse substituents with good to excellent product yields. Active species trapping experiments were conducted to probe the reaction mechanism. Since these perovskite crystals are easy and cheap to synthesize, they are attractive photocatalysts for other organic transformations.