Three-Shell Cu@Co@Ni Nanoparticles Stabilized with a Metal–Organic Framework for Enhanced Tandem Catalysis

Transition-metal catalysts, particularly featuring a triple-layered core–shell structure, are very promising for practical application; however, reports on their synthesis and catalytic application for a cascade reaction were very rare. In this work, tiny Cu@Co@Ni core–shell nanoparticles (∼3.3 nm) containing Cu core, Co middle shell, and Ni outer shell stabilized by metal–organic framework (MOF) were successfully synthesized to give a quadruple-layered Cu@Co@Ni/MOF at moderate conditions. The catalyst exhibited superior catalytic performance toward the in situ hydrogenation of nitroarenes using the H2 generated from the hydrolysis of ammonia borane (NH3BH3) under mild conditions. Interestingly, the Cu@Co@Ni/MOF also showed excellent catalytic activity toward CO oxidation reaction, which outperforms those of noble-metal catalysts. To our knowledge, this is the first report on transition-metal nanoparticles with a three-layered core–shell structure stabilized by MOF as a cooperative catalyst for cascade reaction and CO oxidation.