The Role of Nanocrystal Facets in Sustainable Organic Synthesis

Abstract The effective synthesis of noble‐metal nanocrystals with controllable shapes opens up several possibilities for manipulating their physicochemical characteristics as well as improving their figures of merit in a number of applications. The availability of this new class of nanomaterials has helped heterogeneous catalysis and surface research in particular, as the atomic structure shown on the surface of a nanocrystal is ultimately governed by its geometric form. The immediate benefits might include a considerable increase in catalytic activity or selectivity, as well as a significant decrease in material costs, all while offering a well‐defined model system for mechanistic investigation. This review paper presents a complete overview of recent developments in the synthesis of noble‐metal nanocrystals with well‐tuned morphologies, as well as their outstanding performance in a wide range of catalytic activities in organic synthesis. Nanocrystals having different shapes such as cubic, cuboctahedra, octahedra, rhombic dodecahedra, etc. exhibited a major role in facet‐dependent catalytic activity in the organic synthesis. Synthesis of organic molecules such as heterocyclic molecule synthesis, coupling reaction (C−C coupling), hydrogenation reaction, oxidation, and peptide synthesis are highly affected by nanocrystals with a particular surface facet. We expect that this review article will provide the motivation and a pathway for the development of next‐generation catalysts, which are critical in a variety of applications for organic synthesis.