Stable Ni(II)-based metal-organic framework nanoparticles for efficient photocatalytic C-N coupling reaction

Herein, we successfully obtained a two-dimensional (2D) Ni(II) metal-organic framework called [Ni₂(L)(H₂O)₈]_n (JYU-1) with its structure determined by single crystal crystallography as staggered in an ABAB arrangement. The 2D structure layers led to the interpenetration between layers to form a 2D + 2D → three-dimensional (3D) interpenetration frame. JYU-1 was found to exhibit activity for C-N coupling reaction under visible light. The exfoliation of JYU-1 resulted in the creation of JYU-1-NP with a nanoparticle morphology, enhancing its activity in the C-N coupling reaction. This improvement is attributed to the increased exposure of Ni(II) units and reduced charge-transfer resistance. This study provides a new and efficient strategy for synthesis of benzoamine compounds and demonstrates the important role of the morphology of the catalyst in its performance.