Citation: Man Zhao, Liwu Qiang, Zonghang Liu, Wei Wen, Ze Wang, Qilin Guo, Yanxia Zhang, Aiqin Hao, Yuhong Chang, Junming Zhang, Baoliang Lv, Xiaofang Ma, He Xiao, Jianfeng Jia. Programming selective formation of epoxy bond: Carbon dots as multifunctional mediators for steering propylene electro oxidation pathways on Ag-graphene hybrids[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(10): 112843. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2026.112843 shu

Programming selective formation of epoxy bond: Carbon dots as multifunctional mediators for steering propylene electro oxidation pathways on Ag-graphene hybrids

Man Zhao ^{a, 1} ,
Liwu Qiang ^{a, 1} ,
Zonghang Liu ^b ,
Wei Wen ^a ,
Ze Wang ^a ,
Qilin Guo ^a ,
Yanxia Zhang ^a ,
Aiqin Hao ^a ,
Yuhong Chang ^a ,
Junming Zhang ^a ,
Baoliang Lv ^a ,
Xiaofang Ma ^{d, *,} ,
He Xiao ^{a, *,} ,
Jianfeng Jia ^{a, c, *,}

a.
Shanxi Center of Technology Innovation for Advanced Power Battery Material, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanxi Normal University, Taiyuan 030031, China
b.
School of Science and Engineering, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Functional Aggregate Materials, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518172, China
c.
Shanxi University of Electronic Science and Technology, Linfen 041000, China
d.
College of Energy Engineering, Shanxi College of Technology, Shuozhou 036000, China

maxiaofang@sxct.edu.cn

xiaohe200808@sxnu.edu.cn

jiajf@dns.sxnu.edu.cn

Received Date: 22 February 2026
Revised Date: 16 April 2026
Accepted Date: 26 April 2026
Available Online: 27 April 2026

Figures(6)

Achieving precise control over product selectivity in electrochemical alkene oxidation requires catalysts that can be programmed to favor specific bond-forming pathways. Here, we demonstrate that carbon dots (CDs) serve as programmable interfacial mediators to direct propylene electro oxidation exclusively toward the epoxy bond formation on Ag-graphene hybrids. The engineered Ag-6CDs/G catalyst exhibits a remarkable propylene oxide (PO) Faradaic efficiency of 39.71% and a production rate of 218.85 mmol g^‒1 h^‒1. We deconvolute the triple role of CDs in programming this selectivity: (1) As a structural mediator that dictates Ag nanoparticle size and spatial distribution, maximizing active site density; (2) as an electronic mediator that fine tunes the Ag d band center, thereby optimizing the adsorption strength ratio between propylene (C=C) and the crucial *OH intermediate to a value ideal for C–O coupling; and (3) as a local microenvironment mediator whose oxygenated surface facilitates water activation, ensuring an efficient supply of oxygen species. This multifunctional mediation is rigorously verified through in situ spectroscopy, electrochemical diagnostics, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, which collectively map the reaction coordinate and identify the CD induced shifts in adsorption energetics as the origin of the selective pathway. Our work provides a generalizable blueprint for programming bond forming selectivity in electrocatalysis through rational interfacial design.
- Carbon dots,
- Graphene,
- Electrocatalytic,
- Propylene oxidation,
- Ag
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沈阳化工大学材料科学与工程学院沈阳 110142