Synthesis of catalytically active bimetallic nanoparticles within solution-processable metal-organic-framework scaffolds

Catalytically active bimetallic nanoparticles are at the forefront of catalytic materials research. In this work, bimetallic alloy nanoparticles are synthesized by diffusion and reduction of two kinds of metal ions within cyclodextrin metal organic frameworks (CD-MOFs). Thanks to the spatial confinement of the microporous structure of CD-MOF crystals, bimetallic nanoparticles with uniform sizes are produced. The as-synthesized bimetallic nanoparticles can be freely released into water because these CD-MOFs can be easily dissolved in water. Therefore, these bimetallic nanoparticles free of surface coatings are highly solution processable and can be loaded onto other catalytic supports dispersed in water (i.e., oxides, carbons and other MOFs). The obtained composite catalysts are evaluated by both the CO oxidation reaction and 4-nitrophenol reduction. Overall, the newly developed catalytic system exhibits excellent catalytic activity, durability and recyclability.