Stabilizing Silver Single‐Atom Site via A Pore‐Confined Triphenylphosphine for CO <sub>2</sub> Conversion With High Substrate‐Specificity

J Jing Li Z Zhao‐Cheng Shi (Key Lab of Fluorine and Silicon for Energy Materials and Chemistry/College of Chemistry and Materials Jiangxi Normal University Nanchang China) X Xiao‐Xiao Deng (Key Lab of Fluorine and Silicon for Energy Materials and Chemistry/College of Chemistry and Materials Jiangxi Normal University Nanchang China) X Xue‐Feng Zhang (Key Lab of Fluorine and Silicon for Energy Materials and Chemistry/College of Chemistry and Materials Jiangxi Normal University Nanchang China) Z Zhonggao Zhou (College of Chemistry and Materials Science Analysis and Testing Center Key Laboratory of Jiangxi University for Functional Materials Chemistry Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Bamboo Fiber Composite Gannan Normal University Ganzhou China) P Ping‐Ping Xu (Key Lab of Fluorine and Silicon for Energy Materials and Chemistry/College of Chemistry and Materials Jiangxi Normal University Nanchang China) M Ming‐Ming Wu (Key Lab of Fluorine and Silicon for Energy Materials and Chemistry/College of Chemistry and Materials Jiangxi Normal University Nanchang China) J Jia Zhang L Li‐Dong Wang (Key Lab of Fluorine and Silicon for Energy Materials and Chemistry/College of Chemistry and Materials Jiangxi Normal University Nanchang China) J Jia‐Jun Zeng (Key Lab of Fluorine and Silicon for Energy Materials and Chemistry/College of Chemistry and Materials Jiangxi Normal University Nanchang China) Y Yan‐Tong Xu (School of Advanced Energy and IGCME Sun Yat‐sen University (Shenzhen) Shenzhen Guangdong China) C Chun‐Ting He (Key Lab of Fluorine and Silicon for Energy Materials and Chemistry/College of Chemistry and Materials Jiangxi Normal University Nanchang China)

Abstract

ABSTRACT Ensuring the dispersion and anti‐aggregation of single‐atom sites under catalytic conditions remains a critical challenge in heterogeneous catalysis. Here, we report a dual‐confinement strategy for constructing a metal–organic framework (MOF) based catalyst, MEC‐88, by spatially confining triphenylphosphine (PPh 3 ) within the pores of MOF‐808 to anchor silver single‐atom sites. MEC‐88 exhibits exceptional activity and pronounced substrate selectivity for the carboxylative cyclization of CO 2 with benzyl‐substituted propargylamines under mild, additive‐free aqueous conditions, achieving a turnover frequency up to 1051.3 ± 0.7 h −1 . Moreover, PPh 3 , as a soft‐base ligand, provides robust coordination to silver atoms, effectively inhibiting their aggregation to endow the catalyst with good recyclability. Mechanistic studies reveal that the PPh 3 ‐coordinated silver site synergizes with the Zr 6 O 8 cluster to activate both the alkyne substrate and CO 2 , substantially lowering the energy barriers for CO 2 insertion and cyclization. This work presents a molecule‐enhanced confinement approach for designing stable and efficient single‐atom catalysts with controllable substrate‐specificity.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 65, Issue 18
Published April 27, 2026
ISSN 1433-7851
Publisher Wiley

Journal Info

Angewandte Chemie International Edition

Wiley

ISSN: 1433-7851 Physical Sciences

Authors (12)

J

Jing Li

Z

Zhao‐Cheng Shi

Key Lab of Fluorine and Silicon for Energy Materials and Chemistry/College of Chemistry and Materials Jiangxi Normal University Nanchang China

X

Xiao‐Xiao Deng

Key Lab of Fluorine and Silicon for Energy Materials and Chemistry/College of Chemistry and Materials Jiangxi Normal University Nanchang China

X

Xue‐Feng Zhang

Key Lab of Fluorine and Silicon for Energy Materials and Chemistry/College of Chemistry and Materials Jiangxi Normal University Nanchang China

Z

Zhonggao Zhou

College of Chemistry and Materials Science Analysis and Testing Center Key Laboratory of Jiangxi University for Functional Materials Chemistry Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Bamboo Fiber Composite Gannan Normal University Ganzhou China

P

Ping‐Ping Xu

Key Lab of Fluorine and Silicon for Energy Materials and Chemistry/College of Chemistry and Materials Jiangxi Normal University Nanchang China

M

Ming‐Ming Wu

Key Lab of Fluorine and Silicon for Energy Materials and Chemistry/College of Chemistry and Materials Jiangxi Normal University Nanchang China

J

Jia Zhang

L

Li‐Dong Wang

Key Lab of Fluorine and Silicon for Energy Materials and Chemistry/College of Chemistry and Materials Jiangxi Normal University Nanchang China

J

Jia‐Jun Zeng

Key Lab of Fluorine and Silicon for Energy Materials and Chemistry/College of Chemistry and Materials Jiangxi Normal University Nanchang China

Y

Yan‐Tong Xu

School of Advanced Energy and IGCME Sun Yat‐sen University (Shenzhen) Shenzhen Guangdong China

C

Chun‐Ting He

Key Lab of Fluorine and Silicon for Energy Materials and Chemistry/College of Chemistry and Materials Jiangxi Normal University Nanchang China