Supported ultrasmall noble metal nanocluster-based (UNMN-based) catalysts are one of the most important classes of solid materials for heterogeneous catalysis. In this work, we present a novel strategy for the controlled synthesis of ligand-free UNMN nanocatalysts based on in situ reduction of a palladium-based (Pd-based) metal-organic cage (MOC) confined within monosized, thiol-modified mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSN) supports. By taking advantage of the high mutual solubility of MOCs and MSNs in DMSO and the strong interactions between the thiol-modified MSN pore wall and MOC surface, a good dispersion of MOC molecules was achieved throughout the MSN support. The close correspondence of the MSN pore diameter (ca. 5.0 nm) with the diameter of the MOC (ca. 4.0 nm) confines MOC packing to approximately a monolayer. Based on this spatial constraint and electrostatic binding of the MOC to the thiol-modified MSN pore surface, in situ MOC reduction followed by metal atom diffusion, coalescence, and anchoring on the active sites resulted in ligand-free Pd-based UNMNs of approximately 0.9 ± 0.2 nm in diameter decorating the MSN pore surfaces. Control experiments of the reduction of a conventional palladium source or the reduction of free, unconstrained cages in solution under the same conditions only produced large metal nanocrystals (NP, >2 nm), confirming the importance of confined reduction to achieve a highly catalytically active surface. In light of this strategy, two catalytic experiments including the reaction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol and the Suzuki C-C coupling reaction show superior catalytic activity of the engineered MSN-supported UNMN nanocatalysts compared to their free form and state of the art commercial catalysts. We believe that our new strategy will open new avenues for artificially designed UNMN-inspired nanoarchitectures for wide applications.
Keywords: Ultrasmall noble metal nanocluster; confined space; heterogeneous catalysis; mesoporous silica nanoparticle; metal−organic cage.