Catalytic Metal Nanoparticles Embedded in Conductive Metal–Organic Frameworks for Chemiresistors: Highly Active and Conductive Porous Materials

Abstract

Conductive porous materials having a high surface reactivity offer great promise for a broad range of applications. However, a general and scalable synthesis of such materials remains challenging. In this work, the facile synthesis of catalytic metal nanoparticles (NPs) embedded in 2D metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) is reported as highly active and conductive porous materials. After the assembly of 2D conductive MOFs (C-MOFs), i.e., Cu3(hexahydroxytriphenylene)2 [Cu3(HHTP)2], Pd or Pt NPs are functionalized within the cavities of C-MOFs by infiltration of metal ions and subsequent reduction. The unique structure of Cu3(HHTP)2 with a cavity size of 2 nm confines the bulk growth of metal NPs, resulting in ultra-small (≈2 nm) and well-dispersed metal NPs loaded in 2D C-MOFs. The Pd or Pt NPs-loaded Cu3(HHTP)2 exhibits remarkably improved NO2 sensing performance at room temperature due to the high reactivity of catalytic metal NPs and the high porosity of C-MOFs. The catalytic effect of Pd and Pt NPs on NO2 sensing of Cu3(HHTP)2, in terms of reaction rate kinetics and activation energy, is demonstrated.