Palladium Nanoclusters Confined in MOF@COP as a Novel Nanoreactor for Catalytic Hydrogenation

Metal-nanocluster-doped porous materials are attracting considerable research attention due to their specific catalytic performance. In this study, core–shell metal–organic frameworks@covalent organic polymer (MOF@COP) nanocomposites were formed by the covalent linking of chemically stable COP on the surface of size-selective UiO-66-NH2. Pd nanoclusters with an average diameter of ∼0.8 nm were successfully confined in UiO-66-NH2@COP, and the obtained nanoreactor, referred to as UiO-66-NH2@COP@Pd, exhibited abundant porosity, high stability, and large surface area. Notably, the UiO-66-NH2@COP@Pd nanoreactor exhibited superior catalytic activity and stability for the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol and hydrogenation of other nitroarenes, demonstrating the potential of Pd-cluster-doped MOF@COP hybrid materials as candidates for efficient catalytic hydrogenation. This study may provide new avenues for the construction of MOF@COP-hybrid-material-based heterogeneous catalysts for efficient catalytic applications.