Synthesis of Well-Defined Internal-Space-Controllable UiO-66 Spherical Nanostructures Used as Advanced Nanoreactor

Controllable well-defined metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) spherical structures are expected to be potential good platforms for the heterogeneous catalysis, guest storage, and drug delivery. However, the synthesis faces a challenge. In this paper, a series of well-defined MOFs spherical structures including core-shell, yolk-shell, and hollow spheres were successfully constructed with colloidal carbon as template. Meanwhile, the shapes of MOFs unit (bricklike or octahedral) and sizes of the formed internal space can be controlled simultaneously by rationally changing the modulator and removing template in a good manner. The as-prepared structures could not only keep intact crystal textures but also be used as advanced nanoreactors for enhancing raw materials conversion in the heterogeneous reaction of synthesizing benzoin ethyl ether. Particularly, by our internal-space-controllable nanoreactors, for the first time, the quantifiable relation between nanoreactors' internal space sizes and raw material conversion was revealed.