Stabilizing CuPd bimetallic alloy nanoparticles deposited on holey carbon nitride for selective hydroxylation of benzene to phenol

Phenol is one of the most common intermediates for the synthesis of industrial chemicals. In this paper, we report on the application of photocatalysis for phenol production by hydroxylation of benzene. A series of CuPd bimetallic alloy nanoparticles-coated holey carbon nitride materials have been synthesized. Compared with holey carbon nitride, a considerable increase in selectivity to phenol is achieved in the presence of a uniform distribution of CuPd bimetallic alloy nanoparticles coated on the surface. The catalyst with 0.5 wt% of CuPd bimetallic alloy particles shows an excellent photocatalytic performance where a selective transformation of benzene to phenol of ~89.6% is achieved within 90 min. We attribute this high performance in selective transformation to the uniform distribution of CuPd bimetallic alloy nanoparticles and the high photocatalytic activity of C₃N₄/CuPd composite photocatalysts.