Ferrocenecarboxylic acid: a functional modulator for UiO-66 synthesis and incorporation of Pd nanoparticles

Modulators were frequently employed to synthesize UiO-66 with improved crystallinity, enhanced porosity, and controlled size and morphology. However, little attention was paid to the functionality of modulators themselves. We showed that ferrocenecarboxylic acid (FcCOOH) was not only an efficient modulator for UiO-66 synthesis but also endowed UiO-66 with redox properties. FcCOOH significantly reduced the size of UiO-66 from 400 nm intergrown crystals into 50 nm individual ones, and at the same time remarkably improved their crystallinity, micro-pore volume (0.56 cm3 g−1), and BET surface area (1364 m2 g−1). In addition, FcCOOH in UiO-66 served as a reducing agent for in situ incorporation of Pd nanoparticles into UiO-66 under mild conditions and was used as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for the Suzuki–Miyaura reaction.