Controlling nanoparticle synthesis derived from bimetallic metal–organic frameworks

Abstract

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been recently known as novel precursors in nanomaterial synthesis.To understand the mechanism behind the phase transformation in atomic scale, we apply in-situ X-ray pair-distribution analysis to monitor the whole process, from distortion, destabilization, partial reduction, to the eventual nanoparticle formation and defect evolution of a series of bimetallic MOFs PCN-250.These MOFs with different trimeric node composition (Fe3, Fe2Co, and Fe2Ni) allow us to control the structure, chemistry, and defect of resulting nanoparticles.Notably, we found selective reduction of Ni from the node with defect-rich frameworks retained.This can be a new route for future MOFs crystal engineering.Figure 1.The structure of MOFs and resulting nanophases are tracked through PDF analysis.