Selectivity switch via tuning surface static electric field in photocatalytic alcohol conversion

Photocatalysis has shown powerful capabilities in organic reactions, while controlling the selectivity is a long-standing goal and challenge due to the involvement of various radical intermediates. In this study, we have realized selectivity control in the photocatalytic conversion of alcohols via engineering the surface static electric field of the CdS semiconductor. By leveraging the Au–CdS interaction to adjust lattice strain, which influences the intensity of the surface static electric field, we altered the pathways of alcohol conversion. The increased intensity of the surface static electric field changed the activation pathways of the C–H/O–H bond, leading to the selective formation of targeted C/O-based radical intermediates and altering the selectivity from aldehydes to dimers. A wide range of alcohols, such as aromatic alcohol and thiophenol alcohol, were selectively converted into aldehyde or dimer. This work provides an effective strategy for selectively controlling reaction pathways by generating a surface electric field.