Space-confined synthesis of sinter-resistant high-entropy nanoparticle library

Abstract

Abstract The tailorable confinement of high-entropy nanoparticles (HE-NPs) within molecular sieves (HE-NPs@MSs), synergizing merits of cocktail effects and geometric polymorphs, holds potential for advancing heterogeneous catalysis. However, effective and universal synthesis affording size homogeneity and production scalability remains elusive. In this contribution, we present a versatile strategy for encapsulating ultrafine HE-NPs within diverse mesoporous/microporous MSs to enable the rational construction of HE-NPs@MS library. By utilizing the approach of quenching space-confined liquid metal droplets, the resulting HE-NPs@MSs comprise anti-sintered HE-NPs (1 to 5 nm in diameter) with narrow size distributions. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, a HE-NPs@MS prototype catalyst containing trace amounts of Pt is employed in the propane dehydrogenation reaction, achieving a propylene formation rate of up to 44.2 mol gPt⁻¹ h⁻¹, which is 31.6 times greater than that of the monometallic Pt@MS counterpart. Our strategy facilitates high-throughput synthesis and large-scale production, opening tantalizing opportunities in the utilization of high-entropy nanomaterials for various applications.