Abstract

A novel CuI 3,5‐diphenyltriazolate metal‐organic framework (CuTz‐1) was synthesized and extensively characterized by a multi‐technique approach. The combined results provided solid evidence that CuTz‐1 features unprecedented Cu5tz6 cluster as SBU with channels of ca 8.3 Å diameter. This MOF material, which is both thermally and chemically (basic and acidic) stable, exhibits semi‐conductivity and high photocatalytic activity towards degradation of dyes in the presence of H2O2. Its catalytic performance is superior to that of reported MOFs and comparable to some composites, which has been attributed to high efficiency of generating *OH ‐ the most active species for degradation of dyes. It is suggested that the photogenerated holes are trapped by CuI yielding CuII, the latter of which behaves as a catalyst for a Fenton‐like reaction to produce extra amount of *OH in addition to that formed via scavenging of photogenerated electrons by H2O2. Furthermore, it has been shown that a dye‐mixture (methyl orange, methyl blue, methylene blue and rhodamine B) can be totally decolorized by using CuTz‐1 as photocatalyst in the presence of H2O2 under the irradiation of a Xe lamp or natural sunlight.

Download