ZIF-8 microcapsule with single-pore supporting Au nanoparticles inside for efficient cascade catalysis
Researchers from QMUL, Hebei University of Technology and Huzhou University built a hollow nanocapsule, a porous shell with a single opening and gold nanoparticles fixed inside, that runs a two-step chemical reaction in one pot, converting a model molecule with 99% efficiency and negligible loss of activity after repeated use. The group of Dr Devis Di Tommaso at QMUL used quantum-chemical calculations to reveal, at the atomic level, why the shape of the reacting molecule controls how efficiently it binds and reacts on the gold surface, insight that explains the experimental yields and offers a design principle for building more efficient, longer-lasting catalysts for pharmaceutical and fine-chemical manufacturing.
Authors: ong Zhao, Devis Di Tommaso, Xiaomei Wang, Xu Zhang