2026-07-07Recently, the Boron Chemistry Research Team at the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering of Henan Normal University have published a research paper entitled “Polarity-Directed Synthesis of an Exfoliable 2D Polyoxometalate-Based Metal-Organic Framework for Noble Metal-Free Alkyne Transfer Semi-Hydrogenation” in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, a top-tier international journal in chemistry. Dai Xusheng, a doctoral student at the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, is the first author of the paper; Associate Professor Li Shujun, Professor Liu Yiwei from Anhui Normal University, and Professor Carsten Streb from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany, are the co-corresponding authors. Henan Normal University is the first affiliation.
Two-dimensional polyoxometalate-based metal-organic frameworks (2D POMOFs) combine the excellent redox properties of polyoxometalates with the tunable structural advantages of metal-organic frameworks, holding great promise for applications in materials construction and catalysis. However, their directed construction and controllable preparation remain major challenges in this field. This study proposes a polarity-directed assembly strategy: by exploiting polyoxometalate clusters with nonuniform charge distribution, the researchers achieved the precise construction of an exfoliable 2D POMOF material and established a multi-step morphological control approach spanning from bulk single crystals to nanocrystals, and further to bilayer and monolayer nanosheets. The study found that the resulting bilayer nanosheets can efficiently catalyze the alkyne transfer semi-hydrogenation reaction without the involvement of noble metals. Mechanistic studies revealed that the polyoxometalate acts as an electron reservoir working synergistically with the Co active sites, effectively promoting the catalytic reaction.
This work proposes, for the first time, a new strategy for constructing 2D POMOFs based on the polarity distribution of polyoxometalates, providing a new theoretical basis for the design of high-performance 2D catalytic materials and the construction of selective hydrogenation catalytic systems. The research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Natural Science Foundation of Henan Province, among other funding programs.
Paper link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/anie.7007153
(Li Bin, Wang Manman, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering)
