Review
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Yi-Ming Li, Jinhui Hu, Manzhou Zhu
Summary: Combining metal nanoclusters with metal-organic frameworks provides a great potential for designing highly active catalysts, thanks to the accurate and tunable framework structures of MOFs. This review focuses on the synthesis strategies and enhanced catalytic activity of NC/MOF nanocomposites, as well as the specific reasons for such increased activity. The barriers and future perspectives in this field are also discussed.
COORDINATION CHEMISTRY REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zheng Lin, Shujing Liu, Weijun Weng, Changchun Wang, Jia Guo
Summary: This study presents a photoisomerization-driven strategy for the design of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) by introducing electron-withdrawing benzothiadiazole, aiming to break the excited-state symmetry and enhance the photochemical reactivity of COFs. The ultrafast excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) is utilized to generate partially enolized COF isomers, leading to symmetry-breaking and enhanced charge separation and long-range electron transfer through the hybrid linkages. Asymmetric COFs show better photocatalytic performance than symmetric ones in ESIPT-induced photoisomerization.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jieding Wei, Renqiang Zhao, Dian Luo, Xiangyu Lu, Wenxiu Dong, Yucheng Huang, Xiaomei Cheng, Yonghong Ni
Summary: In this paper, a hybrid photocatalyst (Ni6/g-C3N4) with excellent photocatalytic hydrogen production activity was successfully synthesized by decorating Ni6(SC2H4Ph)12 nanoclusters on g-C3N4 nanosheets at room temperature. The formation of Ni6/g-C3N4 was attributed to the electrostatic interaction between Ni6 and g-C3N4. The hybrid photocatalyst exhibited significantly enhanced hydrogen production activity compared to pure g-C3N4, with a visible-light hydrogen production rate approximately 290 times higher.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Koustav Sahoo, Tapu Raihan Gazi, Soumyadip Roy, Indranath Chakraborty
Summary: Atomically precise metal nanoclusters have exciting optical and catalytic properties, but their long-term stability under ambient conditions is a challenge for practical applications. Creating nanohybrids from atomically precise nanoclusters and more stable nanomaterials can improve their stability and useful properties.
COMMUNICATIONS CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jin Yang, Amitava Acharjya, Meng-Yang Ye, Jabor Rabeah, Shuang Li, Zdravko Kochovski, Sol Youk, Jerome Roeser, Julia Grueneberg, Christopher Penschke, Michael Schwarze, Tianyi Wang, Yan Lu, Roel van de Krol, Martin Oschatz, Reinhard Schomaecker, Peter Saalfrank, Arne Thomas
Summary: The study demonstrates that protonation of imine-linked COFs can enhance photocatalytic performance, resulting in high-speed hydrogen production. This is attributed to the significant red-shift in light absorbance, improved charge separation efficiency, and increased hydrophilicity triggered by protonation.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shiwen Dong, Xuan Liu, Xianxian Kong, Feilong Dong, Yan Yu, Lizhang Wang, Da Wang, Zhiqiao He, Shuang Song
Summary: Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have been proven to be efficient catalysts for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution due to their tunable functionalities, permanent porosity, excellent visible light response, and physicochemical stability. In this study, a series of photocatalysts (NUBC) were prepared by loading different amounts of Zr-UiO-66-NH2 onto a benzoic acid-modified covalent triazine-based framework (BC). The resulting NUBC catalysts exhibited a type-II Z-scheme heterojunction structure formed via amide covalent bonds between NU and BC. The optimal loading of NU on BC was 30 wt.% (30NUBC), which showed a significantly higher photocatalytic H-2 evolution rate compared to NU and BC alone. The synergistic effect between the type-II Z-scheme heterojunctions and amide bonds contributed to enhanced visible light harvesting and improved charge transportation and separation. Furthermore, the NUBC catalysts showed excellent reusability and stability. Overall, this work provides insights into the design of novel MOF/COF hybrid materials and offers a systematic exploration of their photocatalytic H2 evolution properties.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jixian Wang, Lei Li, Shan Jiang, David J. Young, Zhi-Gang Ren, Hong-Xi Li
Summary: This study presents a series of SH-group-functionalized covalent organic frameworks (COFs) as prospective photoactive materials for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. The use of nickel thiolate as a cocatalyst significantly enhances the hydrogen evolution rate.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yongnan Sun, Xiao Cai, Weigang Hu, Xu Liu, Yan Zhu
Summary: Gold nanoclusters with precise composition and tunable structure exhibit unexpected photocatalytic and electrocatalytic activities. They have potential applications in hydrogen evolution, oxygen reduction, CO2 reduction, and various photocatalytic reactions. Their unique geometrical and electronic properties make them promising in the catalytic field.
SCIENCE CHINA-CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Xi Kang, Manzhou Zhu
Summary: The study of structural isomerism in nanoclusters has become a new growth point in nanocluster science, balancing between molecular isomerization of small-sized nanoparticles and phase transformation of bulk materials. Key focuses include the geometric structures of nanoclusters, the effects of ligands on structures and properties, and the interconversions between isomers.
CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ting Wang, Mingjie Li, Yijun Chen, Xinpeng Che, Fuzhen Bi, Ying Yang, Renqiang Yang, Chaoxu Li
Summary: This study investigates the impact of covalent organic framework (COF) isomerism and discovers that isomers display distinct photophysical and electrochemical properties. The symmetric COF isomer exhibits a higher hydrogen evolution rate, providing new insights for the design and application of COFs.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jiamin Sun, Himanshu Sekhar Jena, Chidharth Krishnaraj, Kuber Singh Rawat, Sara Abednatanzi, Jeet Chakraborty, Andreas Laemont, Wanlu Liu, Hui Chen, Ying-Ya Liu, Karen Leus, Henk Vrielinck, Veronique Van Speybroeck, Pascal Van Der Voort
Summary: Four highly porous covalent organic frameworks (COFs) containing pyrene units were prepared and explored for photocatalytic H2O2 production. Experimental studies and density functional theory calculations showed that the pyrene unit has higher activity for H2O2 production compared to bipyridine and (diarylamino)benzene units. The distribution of pyrene units over a large surface area of COFs was found to be crucial for catalytic performance.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yang Li, Xiaoyu Song, Guang Zhang, Lei Wang, Yi Liu, Weihua Chen, Long Chen
Summary: Efficiently producing clean energy is crucial for sustainable environmental development. Solar-driven water splitting for hydrogen production plays an important role in renewable energy technologies. 2D covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have gained widespread interest as photocatalysts due to their tunable optical properties and excellent stability. However, there are still challenges to be addressed in practical applications.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Cheng Liu, Yumei Xiao, Qing Yang, Yongchao Wang, Ruowei Lu, Yanxia Chen, Cuijuan Wang, Hongjian Yan
Summary: The study introduces a novel highly fluorinated covalent organic framework (TFA-COF) for photocatalytic H-2 production from water, demonstrating significantly increased specific surface area and improved photocatalytic performance by introducing fluorine atoms into the COF framework.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Tokuhisa Kawawaki, Yuki Kataoka, Momoko Hirata, Yuki Iwamatsu, Sakiat Hossain, Yuichi Negishi
Summary: This review summarizes studies on creating heterogeneous catalysts using atomically precise metal NCs, focusing on calcination as a ligand-elimination method. It provides insights into the experimental conditions, removal mechanism of ligands, and catalytic reaction mechanism over the created heterogeneous catalyst. Future challenges in creating high-performance heterogeneous catalysts using atomically precise metal NCs are also discussed.
NANOSCALE HORIZONS
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shuhong Wu, Yi Pan, Huan Lin, Liuyi Li, Xianzhi Fu, Jinlin Long
Summary: This Minireview introduces state-of-the-art COF photocatalysts based on different linkages and discusses the origin of photocatalytic activities for hydrogen evolution. It focuses on advancements in synthetic methodologies, structural design, and photoelectronic properties relevant to photocatalytic performance of three typical COF photocatalysts with different linkages (-C=N-, O=C-C=C-NH-, and -C=C-). The review is expected to elucidate structure-property relationships and provide insights for designing photoactive COFs with enhanced performances.
