Palladium Nanoparticles Immobilized on a Resorcin[4]arene-Based Metal–Organic Framework for Hydrogenation of Nitroarenes

Metal–organic framework (MOF)-supported metal nanoparticles (NPs) have been proven to be highly efficient in catalytic fields. In this work, palladium NPs were rationally confined in a MOF [CuI4(SiW12O40)(L)]·6H2O·2DMF (L = resorcin[4]arene ligand) to produce catalyst 1. The as-prepared catalyst 1 was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma optical atomic emission spectrometry, and transmission electron microscopy. The characteristic results indicated that Pd NPs were well-dispersed in catalyst 1, with a mean particle size of 3.02 nm. Remarkably, catalyst 1 exhibited a high catalytic efficiency for the tandem reactions of NH3BH3 dehydrogenation and nitroarene hydrogenation. Most strikingly, catalyst 1 still featured high catalytic activity after five cycles of reuse.