Electrosynthesis has received great attention among researchers in both academia and industry as an ideal technique to promote single electron reduction without the use of expensive catalysts. In this work, we report the electrochemical reduction of Katritzky salts to alkyl radicals by sacrificing the easily accessible metal anode. This catalyst and electrolyte free platform has broad applicability to single electron transfer chemistry, including fluoroalkenylation, alkynylation and thiolation. The deaminative functionalization is facilitated by the rapid molecular diffusion across microfluidic channels, demonstrating the practicality that outpaces the conventional electrochemistry setups.

Currently, the selective activation of C(sp³)–F bonds and C–C bonds constitute one of the most widely used procedures for the synthesis of high-value products that range from pharmaceuticals to agrochemical applications. While numerous examples of these two methods have been reported in their respective fields, the processes which merge the activation of both single C(sp³)-F bonds and C–C bonds in one step still remain elusive. Here, we demonstrate the controllable defluoroalkylation–distal functionalization of trifluoromethylarenes with unactivated alkenes via distal heteroaryl migration. This is proposed to proceed via tandem C(sp³)–F and C–C bond cleavage using visible-light photoredox catalysis combined with Lewis acid activation. This strategy provides facile and flexible access to multiply functionalizedα,α-difluorobenzylic ketones in useful yields (up to 88%) under mild conditions. The products can be further transformed into other valuable compounds, demonstrating the method’s utility.

We have reported a photocatalyzed C–C bond cleavage/C–N bond formation cyanoalkylacylation reaction through the remote C-center to N-center heteroaryl migration under mild conditions using the microflow technique.

Selective S-alkynylation of cysteine-containing peptides and 1-thioglycoside residues was developed using continuous flow.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), as one of the five major engineering plastics with an annual production exceeding 80 million metric tons, has created escalating environmental challenges. Currently, approximately 79% of discarded PET is treated through landfill or incineration, while conventional chemical recycling technologies (e.g., hydrolysis and alcoholysis) require harsh conditions such as high temperature, high pressure, and highly corrosive media, leading to issues including high energy consumption, severe equipment corrosion, and secondary pollution. This study pioneers a cerium-based photocatalytic system, achieving for the first time the efficient depolymerization of PET waste under visible-light-driven conditions. At ambient temperature and pressure, the cerium trichloride (CeCl₃) photocatalyst activates visible light to depolymerize post-consumer PET (including plastic bottles and textile fibers) into high-purity terephthalic acid (PTA) without requiring strong alkali pretreatment, overcoming the equipment corrosion challenges inherent in conventional photocatalytic reforming technologies that rely on concentrated alkaline solutions. An innovatively designed microchannel reactor system leverages its high surface-to-volume ratio to enhance light utilization efficiency while resolving optical path decay issues, providing an engineered solution for large-scale processing. This breakthrough establishes a sustainable pathway for PET circular economy, addressing critical limitations of existing physical and chemical recycling methods.