Recent Advances in Heterogeneous Copper(0) Catalysis: Strategies for Cycloaddition, C–B Bond Formation, and Selective Reduction

The development of synthetic procedure for the metallic copper nanoparticles (NPs) has been of great interest in recent years due to their applications in various fields of science and technology, particularly in catalysis. The synthetic methods of these Cu(0) materials have been constantly improved by varying temperature, stoichiometry of starting materials, and capping agents to control the size, shape, and stability of derived NPs. In this review, we summarize the various strategies for synthesizing metallic Cu materials and highlight their applications as catalysts in various organic transformations. A detailed discussion is provided on the synthetic protocol for Cu(0) materials, followed by an overview of their catalytic applications, including C-N and C-B bond formation, nitroarene reduction, hydrogenation, and cyclization (triazole synthesis) reactions. Findings of this review work offer valuable insights to further advance the development and applications of Cu(0) materials in synthetic organic transformations. Given the rapid advancement of this field, this review highlights some important developments from 2016 to the end of 2025.