Covalence bridge atomically precise metal nanocluster and metal-organic frameworks for enhanced photostability and photocatalysis

• Published in: Nano research Vol. 16; no. 1; pp. 1527 - 1532
• Main Authors: Yao, Aimin, Du, Yuanxin, Han, Meng, Wang, Yan, Hu, Jiashen, Zhu, Qingtao, Sheng, Hongting, Zhu, Manzhou
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Beijing Tsinghua University Press 2023
• Subjects: Atomic/Molecular Structure and Spectra; Biomedicine; Biotechnology; Chemistry and Materials Science; Condensed Matter Physics; Materials Science; Nanotechnology; Research Article; covalent binding; photostability; atomically precise nanoclusters; metal-organic frameworks; photocatalytic hydrogen production
• ISSN: 1998-0124; 1998-0000
• DOI: 10.1007/s12274-022-4725-4

Metal nanoclusters (NCs) with precise structure and ultrasmall size have attracted great interests in catalysis. However, the poor stability has limited its large-scale use. Herein, we proposed the “covalence bridge” strategy to effectively connect atomically precise metal NCs and metal-organic frameworks. Benefiting from the covalent linkage, the synthesized UiO-66-NH 2 -Au 25 (L-Cys) 18 showed outstanding stability after 16 h photocatalysis. Moreover, the covalence bridge created a strong metal-support interaction between the two components and provided an effective charge transport channel and thereby enhanced photocatalytic activity. UiO-66-NH 2 -Au 25 (L-Cys) 18 displayed an exceptional photocatalytic H 2 production rate, which is 21 and 90 times higher than that of UiO-66-NH 2 /Au 25 (PET) 18 (made by physically combination) and bare UiO-66-NH 2 , respectively. Thermodynamic and kinetic studies demonstrated that UiO-66-NH 2 -Au 25 (L-Cys) 18 exhibited higher charge transfer efficiency, lower overpotential of water reduction and activation energy barrier compared with its counterparts.