@article{Zhang2026, 
author = {Zhuo-Ran Zhang and Shuang Yao and Peng Zhang and Ming-Yang Cui and Dmitry L. Kovalenko and Zhi-Ming Zhang and Tong-Bu Lu and Wen-Xiong Shi},
title = {Single-cluster dispersed high-nuclearity Cu-W-oxo polyoxometalate for efficient epoxidation},
year = {2026},
journal = {Nano Research},
keywords = {polyoxometalate, single dispersed catalyst, high-nuclear cluster, binuclear copper, epoxidation},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/NR.2026.94908922},
doi = {10.26599/NR.2026.94908922},
abstract = {Atomic-level structural precision and dynamic control of metal clusters during catalytic processes remain great challenges. Herein, Cu-W48/CNNS single cluster catalyst was fabricated by dispersing wheel-shaped [(Cu(H₂O))2[Cu4(OH)4(H2O)8]2P8W48O184]28- (Cu-W48) polyoxometalate (POM) onto carbon nitride nanosheets (CNNS). The tetranuclear copper cluster [Cu4(OH)4(H2O)8] (Cu4) consists of two binuclear copper units [Cu2(OH)2(H2O)4] (Cu2). Encapsulated within the POM cavity, the Cu4 cluster demonstrates exceptional catalytic performance toward molecular oxygen activation, achieving highly selective monooxygenation of cyclohexene to epoxycyclohexane with unprecedented efficiency (96.5% yield and 97.6% selectivity). Notably, the single-cluster catalyst exhibits remarkable performance across diverse monooxygenation reactions, including epoxidation, aromatic hydrocarbon oxidation and thiooxidation. This work provides new insights into the rational design of atomic-precision multinuclear metal cluster catalysts by precisely integrating transition-metal-oxo clusters into the cavities of monodispersed POMs.}
}