Mimicking the active site and the substrate binding cavity of the enzyme to achieve specificity in catalytic reactions is an essential challenge. Herein, porous coordination cages (PCCs) with intrinsic cavities and tunable metal centers have proved the regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generating pathways as evidenced by multiple photo-induced oxidations. Remarkably, in the presence of the Zn 4 -μ 4 -O center, PCC converted dioxygen molecules from triplet to singlet excitons, whereas the Ni 4 -μ 4 -O center promoted the efficient dissociation of electrons and holes to conduct electron transfer towards substrates. Accordingly, the distinct ROS generation behavior of PCC-6-Zn and PCC-6-Ni enables the conversion of O 2 to 1 O 2 and O 2 *À , respectively. In contrast, the Co 4 -μ 4 -O center combined the 1 O 2 and O 2 *Àtogether to generate carbonyl radicals, which in turn reacted with the oxygen molecules. Harnessing the three oxygen activation pathways, PCC-6-M (M = Zn/Ni/Co) display specific catalytic activities in thioanisole oxidation (PCC-6-Zn), benzylamine coupling (PCC-6-Ni), and aldehyde autoxidation (PCC-6-Co). This work not only provides fundamental insights into the regulation of ROS generation by a supramolecular catalyst but also demonstrates a rare example of achieving reaction specificity through mimicking natural enzymes by PCCs.
Porous materials have been widely applied for supercapacitors;
however, the relationship between the electrochemical behaviors and
the spatial structures has rarely been discussed before. Herein, we
report a series of porous coordination cage (PCC) flexible supercapacitors
with tunable three-dimensional (3D) cavities and redox centers. PCCs
exhibit excellent capacitor performances with a superior molecular
capacitance of 2510 F mmol–1, high areal capacitances
of 250 mF cm–2, and unique cycle stability. The
electrochemical behavior of PCCs is dictated by the size, type, and
open–close state of the cavities. Both the charge binding site
and the charge transportation pathway are unambiguously elucidated
for PCC supercapacitors. These findings provide central theoretical
support for the “structure–property relationship”
for designing powerful electrode materials for flexible energy storage
devices.
Photocatalysts. Porous coordination cages with Zn, Ni and Co clusters exhibit different electronic structures dictating the evolution of reactive oxygen species, as reported by Hong‐Cai Zhou, Yu Fang et al. in their Communication (e202303896). This work demonstrates a rare case of a supramolecular photocatalyst exhibiting reaction specificity.
Mimicking the active site and the substrate binding cavity of the enzyme to achieve specificity in catalytic reactions is an essential challenge. Herein, porous coordination cages (PCCs) with intrinsic cavities and tunable metal centers have proved the regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generating pathways as evidenced by multiple photo‐induced oxidations. Remarkably, in the presence of the Zn4‐μ4‐O center, PCC converted dioxygen molecules from triplet to singlet excitons, whereas the Ni4‐μ4‐O center promoted the efficient dissociation of electrons and holes to conduct electron transfer towards substrates. Accordingly, the distinct ROS generation behavior of PCC‐6‐Zn and PCC‐6‐Ni enables the conversion of O2 to 1O2 and O2⋅−, respectively. In contrast, the Co4‐μ4‐O center combined the 1O2 and O2⋅− together to generate carbonyl radicals, which in turn reacted with the oxygen molecules. Harnessing the three oxygen activation pathways, PCC‐6‐M (M=Zn/Ni/Co) display specific catalytic activities in thioanisole oxidation (PCC‐6‐Zn), benzylamine coupling (PCC‐6‐Ni), and aldehyde autoxidation (PCC‐6‐Co). This work not only provides fundamental insights into the regulation of ROS generation by a supramolecular catalyst but also demonstrates a rare example of achieving reaction specificity through mimicking natural enzymes by PCCs.
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