Palladium nanoparticles encapsuled in MOF: An efficient dual-functional catalyst to produce benzylmalononitrile derivatives by one-pot reaction

Abstract

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) encapsuled metal nanoparticles (NPs) have great potential in catalysis, while their synergistic catalysis in the one-pot reaction is still a largely untapped area, and reports are very limited. Herein, Pd NPs were loaded on a zeolite-type MOF (MIL-101(Cr)-NH2) via post-synthetic impregnation approach to form composites Pd@MIL-101(Cr)-NH2. In addition, the obtained dual-functional Pd@MIL-101(Cr)-NH2 showed great catalytic performance (>99% yields) in the one-pot Sonogashira-Knoevenagel and Heck-Knoevenagel reactions. Furthermore, all characterization methods showed that catalyst with Pd-Brønsted base had high stability to avoid metal agglomeration, leaching, and still maintained high activity after 6 cycles under the same circumstances. These reactions had potential significance for the production of benzylmalononitrile derivatives with high economic benefits.