Highly Efficient and Stable Atomically Dispersed Cu Catalyst for Azide-Alkyne Cycloaddition Reaction

In this study, we report a highly stable and efficient single-atom Cu dispersed on N-doped porous carbon as a superior catalyst for azide-alkyne cycloaddition reaction. A broad set of 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles was synthesized in high to excellent yields with good tolerance of various functional groups in a cost-effective, environment-friendly manner. Parallel studies show that the single-atom Cu with unique coordination structure exhibits superior catalytic activity to the metallic Cu nanoparticles analogue. Remarkably, the single-atom Cu catalyst demonstrates robust stability and can be reused several times without variations in activity and regioselectivity. Graphical Single-atom catalysis : A single-atom Cu dispersed on N-doped carbon exhibits superior catalytic activity for efficient and selective AAC reaction to access a broad set of 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles in a facile and environmentally-benign manner. Single-atom Cu catalyst demonstrates both higher reactivity and stronger stability than the supported Cu nanoparticles under the same reaction conditions.