Repair of missing linker defects in UiO-66 by a molecular patch boosting the 1-hexene hydroformylation reaction

Fabrication of MOFs with missing linker defects has become a common means to improve catalytic performances. However, the stability of the defects deserves to be investigated first. In this work, we found that 3-phenylpropionaldehyde (3-PPA) could coordinate with the missing linker defects of UiO-66, which highlighted the instability of the missing linker defects. 3-PPA acted as a molecular patch for the modification of the Rh/UiO-66 catalyst, which repaired the open Zr-6 sites and resulted in a remarkable improvement of aldehyde selectivity (from 50.0% to 89.6%) in 1-hexene hydroformylation.

Automated summary

Fabricating MOFs with missing linker defects is a common method to enhance catalytic performances, but the stability of the defects should be investigated first. In this study, it was found that 3-phenylpropionaldehyde (3-PPA) could coordinate with the missing linker defects of UiO-66, indicating the instability of the defects. 3-PPA acted as a molecular patch to modify the Rh/UiO-66 catalyst, repairing the open Zr-6 sites and significantly improving aldehyde selectivity (from 50.0% to 89.6%) in 1-hexene hydroformylation.