Redox-mediated stabilization of ultrasmall Au25 nanoclusters in amine-functionalized MOF for robust photocatalytic antibacterial applications
摘要
Noble metal nanoclusters (MNCs), intrinsically possessing atomically precise structures and tunable compositions, have emerged as promising candidates for advanced catalysis, sensing, and energy-related applications. However, their practical utilization is severely hampered by rapid oxidation-induced structural degradation and ligand detachment under ambient conditions, leading to inevitable aggregation into larger particles during storage or catalytic process. Here, we developed a redox-mediated stabilization strategy by integrating ultrasmall Au25 NCs with amine-functionalized metal-organic frameworks (MOF). The abundant and uniformly dispersed amine groups as reductive reagents to suppress the oxidation of Au atoms while simultaneously reinforcing thiol-terminated ligands anchoring through dynamic coordination processes. The dual stabilization strategy enables Au25 NCs to maintain their initial ultrasmall particle sizes and structural integrity under ambient storage and light irradiation processes. Furthermore, the engineered type-II heterojunction between Au25 NCs and UiO-66-NH2 significantly enhances visible-light harvesting capacity and charge separation efficiency, thus achieving efficient activation of O2 to form reactive oxygen species (ROS). The Au25/UiO-66-NH2 composites exhibit outstanding photocatalytic antibacterial activity and durability, achieving 99.999% bacterial inactivation efficiency against Escherichia coli (E. coli) within 40 min under visible light while retaining the high efficacy after five reuse cycles. The integration of Au25/UiO-66-NH2 into wearable fabrics underscores its significant potential to provide continuous antibacterial protection. This work establishes amine-functionalized MOFs as universal redox-active supports for stabilizing metastable MNCs and provides a versatile platform for designing durable photocatalytic systems in environmental and biomedical applications.