Emerging applications of metal-TCNQ based organic semiconductor charge transfer complexes for catalysis

摘要

7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ), a strong electron withdrawing olefin, has long been regarded as an ideal compound for the synthesis of semiconducting coordination polymers when coordinated to transition metals. Given that TCNQ is an extremely good electron acceptor, transition metals such as Cu, Ag, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn and Cd have been surveyed for the synthesis of a variety of metal-TCNQ(MTCNQ) compounds. While each of these metal-organic charge transfer complexes show unique physico-chemical properties, these materials have been primarily investigated for electronics applications. More recently, the applicability of TCNQ class of nanomaterials has emerged in other important areas including catalysis, sensing and biology. In this review, the emerging applicability of MTCNQ complexes for catalysis is discussed. In particular, the fabrication of MTCNQ-based materials where M = Cu or Ag is surveyed, followed by discussion on improving their electron-hole recombination properties through a simple galvanic replacement reaction. The mechanistic aspect during the fabrication of these materials with an emphasis on their applicability in catalysis is outlined. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.