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Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Author Spotlight: Characterizing Porous Materials for Aiding the Development of Robust Metal-Organic Frameworks with Adsorption Behavior
Published on: March 8, 2024
Location determination of metal nanoparticles relative to a metal-organic framework
Yu-Zhen Chen1,2, Bingchuan Gu3, Takeyuki Uchida4
1Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, P. R. China.
Abstract:
Metal nanoparticles (NPs) stabilized by metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been intensively studied in recent decades, while investigations on the location of guest metal NPs relative to host MOF particles remain challenging and very rare. In this work, we have developed several characterization techniques, including high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) tomography, hyperpolarized 129Xe NMR spectroscopy and positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS), which are able to determine the specific location of metal NPs relative to the MOF particle. The fine PdCu NPs confined inside MIL-101 exhibit excellent catalytic activity, absolute selectivity and satisfied recyclability in the aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol in pure water. As far as we know, the determination for the location of metal NPs relative to MOF particles and pore structure information of metal NPs/MOF composites by 129Xe NMR and PAS techniques has not yet been reported.
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