Engineering Dual Active Sites of Au Nanoparticles and Nitrogen Vacancies for Enhanced Photocatalytic Toluene Selective Oxidation.

The efficient and selective activation of C(sp)-H bonds in toluene plays a pivotal role in the synthesis of value-added chemicals, yet achieving this transformation under mild conditions remains a challenge. Herein, the Au nanoparticles supported on rich-nitrogen vacancies on CN (AuNPs/CN-N) are synthesized via Ar atmosphere calcination and photoinduced deposition. The electronic state and coordination environment of Au species, as well as nitrogen vacancies, are systematically elucidated using X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electron spin resonance (ESR), and in situ Fourier-transform infrared (in situ FT-IR).