Solar-thermal 3D-interconnected macroporous carbon nanoreactors for solvent-minimized paste-state Suzuki coupling

초록

Poorly soluble aromatic substrates remain challenging in Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reactions because conventional protocols require large solvent volumes to maintain homogeneous conditions. Here we report a solar-thermal nanoreactor platform that enables efficient cross-coupling under solvent-minimized paste-state conditions. The system consists of Pd nanoparticles supported on three-dimensionally interconnected macroporous carbon (Pd@3DMC), which functions simultaneously as a broadband solar absorber, a heterogeneous catalyst support, and a confined nanoreactor architecture. Under solar irradiation, the carbon framework efficiently converts sunlight into heat, while solvent-infiltrated macropores act as localized thermal reservoirs that sustain elevated temperatures around catalytic sites. This architecture enables rapid coupling in a highly concentrated paste-state reaction medium, overcoming solubility limitations without bulk solvent heating. Using this platform, poorly soluble multi-ring aromatic substrates undergo efficient Suzuki coupling with yields up to 98%. The system achieves up to 200-fold reduction in process mass intensity and 260-fold enhancement in space–time yield compared with conventional solution-phase reactions. The catalyst also operates effectively under natural sunlight with excellent recyclability. These results demonstrate how solar-thermal nanoreactors enable reaction-state engineering for solvent-minimized catalytic synthesis.

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