N-heterocyclic carbene-stabilized metal nanoparticles within porous organic cages for catalytic application. Issue 6 (5th April 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Liu, Tong; Bai, Sha; Zhang, Le; Hahn, F Ekkehardt; Han, Ying-Feng
• Is Part Of: National science review. Volume 9:Issue 6(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-04-05
• Subjects: metal nanoparticle -- porous organic cage -- catalytic reaction -- N-heterocyclic carbene; Science -- Periodicals; 505
• DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwac067
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2095-5138

Abstract

Abstract: Tuning the surface-embellishing ligands of metal nanoparticles (NPs) is a powerful strategy to modulate their morphology and surface electronic and functional features, impacting their catalytic activity and selectivity. In this work, we report the design and synthesis of a polytriazolium organic cage PIC-T, capable of stabilizing PdNPs within its discrete cavity. The obtained material (denoted Pd@PCC-T ) is highly durable and monodispersed with narrow particle-size distribution of 2.06 ± 0.02 nm, exhibiting excellent catalytic performance and recyclability in the Sonogashira coupling and tandem reaction to synthesize benzofuran derivatives. Further investigation indicates that the modulation of N-heterocyclic carbene sites embedded in the organic cage has an impact on NPs' catalytic efficiency, thus providing a novel methodology to design superior NP catalysts. Abstract : The discrete cage structure and a subtle regulation of NHC sites inside the cavity facilitate the controllable formation of unique PdNPs with superior catalytic performances.