Encapsulation of Au55 Clusters within Surface-Supported Metal- Organic Frameworks for Catalytic Reduction of 4-Nitrophenol

We demonstrate a facile approach to encapsulate ligand-stabilized Au-55 clusters [Au-55(PPh3)(12)Cl-6] within highly oriented surface-supported metal-organic framework (SURMOF) thin films via liquid-phase epitaxy. The Au-55 clusters were successfully loaded into the pores of SURMOF during their fabrication, which has been confirmed by X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. Computational modeling reveals that there is a strong interaction between the Au-55 core and the oligophenyl ligands of the MOF pore, leading to a removal of the PPH3 ligands. The stabilized Au-55 clusters within SURMOF exhibit excellent catalytic activity for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates a facile method to encapsulate ligand-stabilized Au-55 clusters within SURMOF thin films, confirmed by various analytical techniques. Computational modeling shows a strong interaction between Au-55 core and the MOF pore ligands, resulting in the removal of PPH3 ligands. The stabilized Au-55 clusters within SURMOF exhibit excellent catalytic activity for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol.