Metal/metal oxide clusters possess a higher count of unsaturated coordination sites than nanoparticles, providing multiatomic sites that single atoms do not. Encapsulating metal/metal oxide clusters within zeolites is a promising approach for synthesizing and stabilizing these clusters. The unique feature endows the metal clusters with an exceptional catalytic performance in a broad range of catalytic reactions. However, the encapsulation of stable FeOx clusters in zeolite is still challenging, which limits the application of zeolite-encapsulated FeOx clusters in catalysis. Herein, we design a modified solvent-free method to encapsulate FeOx clusters in pure siliceous MFI zeolites (Fe@MFI). It is revealed that the 0.3–0.4 nm subnanometric FeOx clusters are stably encapsulated in the 5/6-membered rings intersectional voids of the pure siliceous MFI zeolites. The encapsulated Fe@MFI catalyst with a Fe loading of 1.4 wt % demonstrates remarkable catalytic activity and recycle stability in the direct oxidation of methane, while also promoting the direct oxidation of cyclohexane, surpassing the performance of conventional zeolite-supported Fe catalysts.
Visible-light-driven environmental contaminants control using 2D photocatalytic nanomaterials with an unconfined reaction–diffusion path is advantageous for public health. Here, cost-effective siliceous composite microsheets (FeSiO-MS) combined with two distinct refined α-Fe2O3 nanospecies as photofunctional catalysts were constructed via a one-pot synthesis approach. Through precise control of Fe2+ precursor addition, specially configured α-Fe2O3 nanofibers combined with FeOx cluster-functionalized siliceous microsheets of ∼15 nm gradually evolved from the iron oxide-bearing molecular sieve, endowing a superior light-response characteristic of the formed nanocomposite. The catalytic experiment along with the ESR study demonstrated that the produced FeSiO-MS showed reinforced photo-Fenton reactivity, which was effective for rapid phenol degradation under visible light radiation. Moreover, the phenol removal process was found to be regulated by the specially configured types and concentrations of iron oxides. Notably, the obtained composites exhibited a considerable visible-light-induced bactericidal effect against E. coli. The constructed FeSiO-MS nanocomposites as integrated and eco-friendly photocatalysts exhibit enormous potentials for environmental and hygienic application.