Noble metal nanoclusters-decorated NiFe layered double hydroxide superstructure as nanoreactors for selective hydrogenation catalysis

The ability to conduct the self-assembly of nanometer-scale building blocks is the core issue in achieving "bottom-up" fabrications of desired superstructures. However, the general fabrication strategy of a superstructure at an ultrathin nanoscale is not yet fully developed. Herein, we report a facile synthesis route for 3d transition metal layered double hydroxide (LDH) based laminar superstructures via a concise hydrothermal process. The LDH laminar superstructures are further decorated by noble metal clusters to form a new kind of 2-dimensional nanoreactor, which presents outstanding catalytic performance under mild conditions. It is suggested that dodecyl sulfate anions play a key role in the self-assembly of well-defined laminar superstructures, which provide a confinement effect and enhance the activity and selectivity of the catalytic process. The fabrication of an as-prepared nanoreactor reveals a new strategy to tailor the performance of catalysts with high selectivity.