Surface synergetic effects of Pt clusters/monolayer Bi2MoO6 nanosheet for promoting the photocatalytic selective reduction of 4-nitrostyrene to 4-vinylaniline

Pt clusters supported on monolayer Bi2MoO6 nanosheets (Pt/BMO-NS) are constructed for the photocatalytic selective reduction of 4-nitrostyrene to 4-vinylaniline in the presence of HCOONH4 and exhibit high conversion (≈100%) of 4-nitrostyrene and high selectivity (≈100%) of 4-vinylaniline. In situ FTIR spectra and XPS spectra of BMO-NS absorbed 4-nitrostyrene further demonstrate that 4-nitrostyrene can be selectively absorbed and activated on surface Mo5+ and Bi2+ sites of BMO-NS via the Bi···O-N or Mo···O-N coordination. The Pt clusters and photogenerated carriers synergistically make the efficient dissociation of HCOO- to form rich ·CO2- and active ·H, greatly supporting the selective reduction of 4-nitrostyrene to 4-vinyaniline. This work not only highlights the complete utilization of photo-generated carriers to achieve the selective reduction of 4-nitrostyrene to 4-vinylaniline via photocatalytic hydrogen transfer, but also uses metal/monolayer nanosheets as a molecule platform to deeply study the surface/interface synergetic mechanism at the molecule level.