Ultrastable and Highly Catalytically Active N-Heterocyclic-Carbene-Stabilized Gold Nanoparticles in Confined Spaces |
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Authors: | Xing-Xing Gou Tong Liu Prof. Dr. Yao-Yu Wang Prof. Dr. Ying-Feng Han |
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Affiliation: | Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Natural Functional Molecule of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710127 P. R. China |
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Abstract: | Controlling the size and surface functionalization of nanoparticles (NPs) can lead to improved properties and applicability. Herein, we demonstrate the efficiency of the metal-carbene template approach (MCTA) to synthesize highly robust and soluble three-dimensional polyimidazolium cages (PICs) of different sizes, each bearing numerous imidazolium groups, and use these as templates to synthesize and stabilize catalytically active, cavity-hosted, dispersed poly-N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-anchored gold NPs. Owing to the stabilization of the NHC ligands and the effective confinement of the cage cavities, the as-prepared poly-NHC-shell-encapsulated AuNPs displayed promising stability towards heat, pH, and chemical regents. Most notably, all the Au@PCCs (PCC=polycarbene cage) exhibited excellent catalytic activities in various chemical reactions, together with high stability and durability. |
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Keywords: | catalytic reactions gold nanoparticles N-heterocyclic carbenes poly-NHC cage |
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