Hybrid Diamond-Metal Structures from Diamondoids: Synthesis and Catalytic Applications

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This research project aims at exploring the reactivity and exploiting the properties of thermodynamically extremely stable, and highly regular, nm-sized carbon cages named diamondoids (nanodiamonds) in connection with transition metal catalysis. We outline the preparation of hybrid materials that combine pure sp3 carbon and transition metals into uniquely ordered structures. Such novel hybrids are expected to display hitherto unreported physical and catalytic properties due to the intimate connection of the metal-carbon moieties. The 'bottom-up' synthesis of diamond-like structures captures some of the highly desirable properties (structural integrity, optical transparency, negative electron affinity etc.) of bulk diamond at the nanoscale. Ideally, this approach could also be turned into growth of diamond-like films of controlled purity by innovative vapor phase deposition techniques and chemical methods inspired by transition metal reactivity (C-H activation and transition metal promoted C-C bond formation). We propose a combined synthetic, physical, and computational approach, which brings together both fundamental understanding as well as applications in organic synthesis and material sciences. Advances are expected in the preparation of novel hybrid materials with exciting physical properties enabling high catalyst activity and straightforward separability. The work proposed is considered frontier and explorative research since the main objective of assembling robust metallized nanostructures starting from well defined and appropriately functionalized nanodiamonds has never been tackled before. In addition, it also addresses the ANR call descriptors 'Axis 5-nanomaterials and nanotechnologies for products of the future' in the subsection concerning 'Objects production with novel properties and designed assemblies.' The transdisciplinary methodology we propose opens exciting perspectives in nanosciences, transition metal catalysis, and hybrid materials. This ANR-DFG program gives French and German researchers the opportunity to further their scientific collaborations, and thereby hopes to give rise to a European team of excellence. This bi-national innovative project clearly stands out from on-going national projects and is characterized by ideal complementarity between the teams of each country and full integration of the work.