Heteroatom-Doped Ag25 Nanoclusters Encapsulated in Metal–Organic Frameworks for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production

Atomically precise metal nanoclusters (NCs) with unique optical properties and abundant catalytic sites are promising in photocatalysis. However, their light-induced instability and the difficulty of utilizing the photogenerated carriers for photocatalysis pose significant challenges. Here, MAg₂₄ (M=Ag, Pd, Pt, and Au) NCs doped with diverse single heteroatoms have been encapsulated in a metal–organic framework (MOF), UiO-66-NH₂, affording MAg₂₄@UiO-66-NH₂. Strikingly, compared with Ag₂₅@UiO-66-NH₂, the MAg₂₄@UiO-66-NH₂ doped with heteroatom exhibits much enhanced activity in photocatalytic hydrogen production, among which AuAg₂₄@UiO-66-NH₂ presents the best activity up to 3.6 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹, far superior to all other counterparts. Moreover, they display excellent photocatalytic recyclability and stability. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy demonstrate that MAg₂₄ NCs encapsulated into the MOF create a favorable charge transfer pathway, similar to a Z-scheme heterojunction, when exposed to visible light. This promotes charge separation, along with optimized Ag electronic state, which are responsible for the superior activity in photocatalytic hydrogen production.     

Boosting Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production of a Metal–Organic Framework Decorated with Platinum Nanoparticles: The Platinum Location Matters

Improving the efficiency of electron–hole separation and charge‐carrier utilization plays a central role in photocatalysis. Herein, Pt nanoparticles of ca. 3 nm are incorporated inside or supported on a representative metal–organic framework (MOF), UiO‐66‐NH₂, denoted as Pt@UiO‐66‐NH₂ and Pt/UiO‐66‐NH₂, respectively, for photocatalytic hydrogen production via water splitting. Compared with the pristine MOF, both Pt‐decorated MOF nanocomposites exhibit significantly improved yet distinctly different hydrogen‐production activities, highlighting that the photocatalytic efficiency strongly correlates with the Pt location relative to the MOF. The Pt@UiO‐66‐NH₂ greatly shortens the electron‐transport distance, which favors the electron–hole separation and thereby yields much higher efficiency than Pt/UiO‐66‐NH₂. The involved mechanism has been further unveiled by means of ultrafast transient absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy.     

Integration of Plasmonic Effects and Schottky Junctions into Metal–Organic Framework Composites: Steering Charge Flow for Enhanced Visible‐Light Photocatalysis

A wide range of light absorption and rapid electron–hole separation are desired for efficient photocatalysis. Herein, on the basis of a semiconductor‐like metal–organic framework (MOF), a Pt@MOF/Au catalyst with two types of metal–MOF interfaces integrates the surface plasmon resonance excitation of Au nanorods with a Pt‐MOF Schottky junction, which not only extends the light absorption of the MOF from the UV to the visible region but also greatly accelerates charge transfer. The spatial separation of Pt and Au particles by the MOF further steers the formation of charge flow and expedites the charge migration. As a result, the Pt@MOF/Au presents an exceptionally high photocatalytic H₂ production rate by water splitting under visible light irradiation, far superior to Pt/MOF/Au, MOF/Au and other counterparts with similar Pt or Au contents, highlighting the important role of each component and the Pt location in the catalyst.     

非金属光敏剂石墨烯量子点与磷化镍耦合用于可见光光催化制氢（英文）

利用光催化反应制取氢气是满足未来能源可持续利用的一个很有效的方法.然而,如何去开发和利用高效且稳定的非金属光催化剂用于产氢反应是目前所面临的一个巨大的挑战.最近,非金属纳米碳基材料由于其诸多优点而吸引了人们广泛的关注,比如价格低廉、环境友好和良好的稳定性等.另外,石墨烯量子点由于具有很好的水溶性、低毒性,良好的生物兼容性和很好的光学稳定性等优点而被当作是一种能够替代传统量子点的很有前途的材料.除此之外,石墨烯量子点的带隙还可以通过控制其颗粒大小和其表面所带的官能团来进行灵活调控.另一方面,金属磷化物(磷化镍、磷化钴等)已经被证实了是很好的水分解制氢的非贵金属助催化剂,它们可以加快光生电子和空穴的分离,从而提高光催化活性.本文利用非金属光敏剂石墨烯量子点与非贵金属助催化磷化镍进行耦合制备复合光催化剂,实现了在可见光照射下进行光催化制氢.在最优条件下,复合光催化剂的产氢速率为空白石墨烯量子点的94倍,甚至与在空白量子点上负载1.0wt%Pt的产氢速率相当.产氢速率的大幅度提升可能是由于在石墨烯的量子点和磷化镍之间形成了半导体–金属接触界面,从而更有效地促进了光生载流子的传输过程.石墨烯量子点本身有着很好的水溶性,从而利用机械搅拌的方法与磷化镍进行耦合,并在可见光下进行产氢反应.本文采用红外光谱(FTIR)、透射电镜(TEM)、紫外可见光谱(UV-Vis)和荧光光谱(PL)等表征手段研究了空白量子点表面所带的官能团、尺寸大小和光学性能.采用TEM和PL等表征手段来研究复合光催化剂的形貌和产氢性能提高的原因.对于空白量子点,FTIR结果表明,其表面带有–OH等官能团;TEM结果表明,它的尺寸大小大概在3.6±0.5 nm;UV-Vis结果表明,其在可见光区域有着很强的光吸收;PL结果表明,其在波长约为540 nm处有着很强的吸收峰,所对应的带隙约为2.3 eV.对于复合光催化剂,TEM测试结果表明石墨烯量子点在磷化镍上随机分布;从PL结果可见,复合光催化剂的荧光强度明显降低,说明了光生电子从量子点到磷化镍的有效转移,这也是光催化活性提高的重要原因     

MOF Encapsulated AuPt Bimetallic Nanoparticles for Improved Plasmonic-induced Photothermal Catalysis of CO2 Hydrogenation

Exploring new catalytic strategies for achieving efficient CO₂ hydrogenation under mild conditions is of great significance for environmental remediation. Herein, a composite photocatalyst Zr-based MOF encapsulated plasmonic AuPt alloy nanoparticles (AuPt@UiO-66-NH₂) was successfully constructed for the efficient photothermal catalysis of CO₂ hydrogenation. Under light irradiation at 150 °C, AuPt@UiO-66-NH₂ achieved a CO production rate of 1451 μmol g_metal⁻¹ h⁻¹ with 91 % selectivity, which far exceeded those obtained by Au@Pt@UiO-66-NH₂ with Pt shell on Au (599 μmol g_metal⁻¹ h⁻¹) and Au@UiO-66-NH₂ (218 μmol g_metal⁻¹ h⁻¹). The outstanding performances of AuPt@UiO-66-NH₂ were attributed to the synergetic effect originating from the plasmonic metal Au, doped active metal Pt, and encapsulation structure of UiO-66-NH₂ shell. This work provides a new way for photothermal catalysis of CO₂ and a reference for the design of high-performance plasmonic catalysts.     

A Methylthio‐Functionalized‐MOF Photocatalyst with High Performance for Visible‐Light‐Driven H2 Evolution

Recently, the emergence of photoactive metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) has given great prospects for their applications as photocatalytic materials in visible‐light‐driven hydrogen evolution. Herein, a highly photoactive visible‐light‐driven material for H₂ evolution was prepared by introducing methylthio terephthalate into a MOF lattice via solvent‐assisted ligand‐exchange method. Accordingly, a first methylthio‐functionalized porous MOF decorated with Pt co‐catalyst for efficient photocatalytic H₂ evolution was achieved, which exhibited a high quantum yield (8.90 %) at 420 nm by use sacrificial triethanolamine. This hybrid material exhibited perfect H₂ production rate as high as 3814.0 μmol g^?1 h^?1, which even is one order of magnitude higher than that of the state‐of‐the‐art Pt/MOF photocatalyst derived from aminoterephthalate.     

Ultrathin Metal–Organic Framework Nanosheets with Ultrahigh Loading of Single Pt Atoms for Efficient Visible‐Light‐Driven Photocatalytic H2 Evolution

A surfactant‐stabilized coordination strategy is used to make two‐dimensional (2D) single‐atom catalysts (SACs) with an ultrahigh Pt loading of 12.0 wt %, by assembly of pre‐formed single Pt atom coordinated porphyrin precursors into free‐standing metal–organic framework (MOF) nanosheets with an ultrathin thickness of 2.4±0.9 nm. This is the first example of 2D MOF‐based SACs. Remarkably, the 2D SACs exhibit a record‐high photocatalytic H₂ evolution rate of 11 320 μmol g^?1 h^?1 via water splitting under visible light irradiation (λ>420 nm) compared with those of reported MOF‐based photocatalysts. Moreover, the MOF nanosheets can be readily drop‐casted onto solid substrates, forming thin films while still retaining their photocatalytic activity, which is highly desirable for practical solar H₂ production.     

Synergetic effect of ZnIn2S4 nanosheets with metal-organic framework molding heterostructure for efficient visible- light driven photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI)

The photocatalytic reduction of toxic Cr(VI), to green Cr(III) by visible light, is highly required. Metal-organic frameworks have been waged more and more devotion in the field of environmental remediation. Diversification along with functionalization is still thought-provoking and crucial for the progress of metal-organic framework (MOF)-based high activity materials. Herein, a succession of UiO-66-NH₂@ZnIn₂S₄ composites with varying amount of UiO-66-NH₂ is prepared by the facile solvothermal technique. Synergetic effect for Cr(VI) reduction is assessed under the influence of visible light (λ > 420 nm). UiO-66-NH₂ octahedron is detained by ZnIn₂S₄ nanoflakes. The obvious enhancement in activity is observed which is credited to the well-suited energy band construction and close interaction between the interface of ZnIn₂S₄ and UiO-66-NH₂, which leads to effective transfer and separation of photogenerated carriers. Synergistic effect could be evidently understood from the PL and UV -spectroscopy, after molding into heterostructure of UiO-66-NH₂@ZnIn₂S₄. In addition, UiO-66-NH₂@ZnIn₂S₄ composites exhibited good stability in photocatalytic reduction. Consequently, this UiO-66-NH₂ constructed composite has high potential in the field of environmental remediation.     

Selective Formation of Polyaniline Confined in the Nanopores of a Metal–Organic Framework for Supercapacitors

In this study, a strategy that can result in the polyaniline (PANI) solely confined within the nanopores of a metal–organic framework (MOF) without forming obvious bulk PANI between MOF crystals is developed. A water-stable zirconium-based MOF, UiO-66-NH₂, is selected as the MOF material. The polymerization of aniline is initiated in the acidic suspension of UiO-66-NH₂ nanocrystals in the presence of excess poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS). Since the pore size of UiO-66-NH₂ is too small to enable the insertion of the bulky PSS, the quick formation of pore-confined solid PANI and the slower formation of well dispersed PANI:PSS occur within the MOF crystals and in the bulk solution, respectively. By taking advantage of the resulting homogeneous PANI:PSS polymer solution, the bulk PANI:PSS can be removed from the PANI/UiO-66-NH₂ solid by successive washing the sample with fresh acidic solutions through centrifugation. As this is the first time reporting the PANI solely confined in the pores of a MOF, as a demonstration, the obtained PANI/UiO-66-NH₂ composite material is applied as the electrode material for supercapacitors. The PANI/UiO-66-NH₂ thin films exhibit a pseudocapacitive electrochemical characteristic, and their resulting electrochemical activity and charge-storage capacities are remarkably higher than those of the bulk PANI thin films.     

Interfacial Charge Modulation via in situ Fabrication of 3D Conductive Platform with MOF Nanoparticles for Photocatalytic Reduction of CO2

Highly-efficient photocatalytic conversion of CO₂ into valuable carbon-contained chemicals possesses a tremendous potential in solving the energy crisis and global warming problem. However, the inadequate separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and the unsatisfied capture of CO₂ stay the chief roadblocks. Herein, we designed a novel photocatalyst for CO₂ reduction by assembling three-dimensional graphene (3D GR) with a typical metal-organic framework material UIO-66-NH₂, aiming to construct a built-in electric field for charge separation as well as taking advantage of the typical 3D structure of GR for maximizing the exposed absorption site on the surface. The performance evaluation demonstrated that the photocatalytic activity has been improved for the composite materials compared with that of the pure UIO-66-NH₂. Further mechanism investigations proved that the enhanced photocatalytic performance is attributed to the synergy of enhanced CO₂ absorption and inhibited photogenerated charge recombination, which could be owing to the better distribution and exposure of absorption and reaction sites on composites, and the redistribution of photogenerated carriers between 3D GR and UIO-66-NH₂. This study provides a promising pathway to probe nanocomposites based on MOFs in environmental improvement and other relevant fields.     

Two‐Phase System Utilizing Hydrophobic Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs) for Photocatalytic Synthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide

Much effort has been devoted to photocatalytic production of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) as an alternative to fossil fuels. From an economic point of view, reductive synthesis of H₂O₂ from O₂ coupled with the oxidative synthesis of value‐added products is particularly interesting. We herein report application of MIL‐125‐NH₂, a photoactive metal–organic framework (MOF), to a benzylalcohol/water two‐phase system that realized photocatalytic production and spontaneous separation of H₂O₂ and benzaldehyde. Hydrophobization of the MOF enabled its separation from the aqueous phase. This resulted in enhanced photocatalytic efficiency and enabled application of various aqueous solutions including extremely low pH solution which is favorable for H₂O₂ production but fatal to MOF structure. In addition, a highly concentrated H₂O₂ solution was obtained by simply reducing the volume of the aqueous phase.     

Rational Design of MOF/COF Hybrid Materials for Photocatalytic H2 Evolution in the Presence of Sacrificial Electron Donors

Crystalline and porous covalent organic frameworks (COFs) and metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) materials have attracted enormous attention in the field of photocatalytic H₂ evolution due to their long‐range order structures, large surface areas, outstanding visible light absorbance, and tunable band gaps. In this work, we successfully integrated two‐dimensional (2D) COF with stable MOF. By covalently anchoring NH₂‐UiO‐66 onto the surface of TpPa‐1‐COF, a new type of MOF/COF hybrid materials with high surface area, porous framework, and high crystallinity was synthesized. The resulting hierarchical porous hybrid materials show efficient photocatalytic H₂ evolution under visible light irradiation. Especially, NH₂‐UiO‐66/TpPa‐1‐COF (4:6) exhibits the maximum photocatalytic H₂ evolution rate of 23.41 mmol g^?1 h^?1 (with the TOF of 402.36 h^?1), which is approximately 20 times higher than that of the parent TpPa‐1‐COF and the best performance photocatalyst for H₂ evolution among various MOF‐ and COF‐based photocatalysts.     

The First Study on the Reactivity of Water Vapor in Metal–Organic Frameworks with Platinum Nanocrystals

We first studied the reactivity of H₂O vapor in metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) with Pt nanocrystals (NCs) through the water–gas shift (WGS) reaction. A water‐stable MOF, UiO‐66, serves as a highly effective support material for the WGS reaction compared with ZrO₂. The origin of the high catalytic performance was investigated using in situ IR spectroscopy. In addition, from a comparison of the catalytic activities of Pt on UiO‐66, where Pt NCs are located on the surface of UiO‐66 and Pt@UiO‐66, where Pt NCs are coated with UiO‐66, we found that the competitive effects of H₂O condensation and diffusion in the UiO‐66 play important roles in the catalytic activity of Pt NCs. A thinner UiO‐66 coating further enhanced the WGS reaction activity of Pt NCs by minimizing the negative effect of slow H₂O diffusion in UiO‐66.     

Semi-chemical interaction between graphitic carbon nitride and Pt for boosting photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Owing to the exorbitant overpotential and serious carrier recombination of graphitic carbon nitride （gC₃N₄）,noble metal （NM） is usually served as the H₂evolution co-catalyst.Although the NM （such as Pt）nanoparticles can reduce the H₂evolution overpotential,the weak van der Waals interaction between Pt and g-C₃N₄makes against the charge transfer.Herein,the solvothermal method is developed to achieve semi-chemical interaction betwee...     

Spray-Coating of Catalytically Active MOF–Polythiourea through Postsynthetic Polymerization

A UiO-66-NCS MOF was formed by postsynthetic modification of UiO-66-NH₂. The UiO-66-NCS MOFs displays a circa 20-fold increase in activity against the chemical warfare agent simulant dimethyl-4-nitrophenyl phosphate (DMNP) compared to UiO-66-NH₂, making it the most active MOF materials using a validated high-throughput screening. The −NCS functional groups provide reactive handles for postsynthetic polymerization of the MOFs into functional materials. These MOFs can be tethered to amine-terminated polypropylene polymers (Jeffamines) through a facile room-temperature synthesis with no byproducts. The MOFs are then crosslinked into a MOF–polythiourea (MOF–PTU) composite material, maintaining the catalytic properties of the MOF and the flexibility of the polymer. This MOF–PTU hybrid material was spray-coated onto Nyco textile fibers, displaying excellent adhesion to the fiber surface. The spray-coated fibers were screened for the degradation of DMNP and showed durable catalytic reactivity.     

Preparation and photocatalytic performance research of Bi2WO6/UiO-66-NH2 composite

Bi₂WO₆/UiO-66-NH₂ photocatalysts were fabricated through solvothermal method using acetic acid as template. The photocatalytic performance of as-fabricated composites was highly improved under simulated visible light due to the addition of UiO-66-NH₂. The structural and chemical properties of the composites were characterized through FTIR, XRD, XPS, SEM, BET, UV–vis DRS and PL. After 90 min of visible light irradiation, the RhB at an initial concentration of 10 mg·L^?1 in the solution was degraded by 99.4% due to the addition of 10 mg of the composite. There was no significant decrease in the photocatalytic activity even after four rounds of cycles. The free radical capture experiments indicate that the photogenerated holes (h⁺) were the main active sites. The possible photocatalytic degradation mechanism was proposed as the specific surface area of the composite was enlarged due to the uniform distribution of UiO-66-NH₂ on the surface of Bi₂WO₆. The electron–hole pairs recombination rate was decreased due to the photogenerated electrons (e^?) on the CB of Bi₂WO₆ which can be rapidly transferred to the CB of UiO-66-NH₂ and the photogenerated holes of UiO-66-NH₂ transferred to the VB of Bi₂WO₆. Meanwhile, the RhB was directly oxidized to H₂O and CO₂ by h⁺ to achieve the purification effect.

     

Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production Coupled with Selective Benzylamine Oxidation over MOF Composites

Photocatalytic water splitting requires separation of the mixed H₂ and O₂ products and is often hampered by the sluggish O₂‐producing half reaction. An approach is now reported to address these issues by coupling the H₂‐producing half reaction with value‐added benzylamine oxidation reaction using metal–organic framework (MOF) composites. Upon MOF photoexcitation, the electrons rapidly reduce the protons to generate H₂ and the holes promote considerable benzylamine oxidation to N‐benzylbenzaldimine with high selectivity. Further experimental characterizations and theoretical calculation reveal that the highly conjugated s‐triazine strut in the MOF structure is crucial to the efficient charge separation and excellent photocatalytic activity.     

Cd/Pt Precursor Solution for Solar H2 Production and in situ Photochemical Synthesis of Pt Single-atom Decorated CdS Nanoparticles

Despite extensive efforts to develop high-performance H₂ evolution catalysts, this remains a major challenge. Here, we demonstrate the use of Cd/Pt precursor solutions for significant photocatalytic H₂ production (154.7 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹), removing the need for a pre-synthesized photocatalyst. In addition, we also report simultaneous in situ synthesis of Pt single-atoms anchored CdS nanoparticles (Pt_SA-CdS_IS) during photoirradiation. The highly dispersed in situ incorporation of extensive Pt single atoms on CdS_IS enables the enhancement of active sites and suppresses charge recombination, which results in exceptionally high solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of ≈1 % and an apparent quantum yield of over 91 % (365 nm) for H₂ production. Our work not only provides a promising strategy for maximising H₂ production efficiency but also provides a green process for H₂ production and the synthesis of highly photoactive Pt_SA-CdS_IS nanoparticles.     

Multi-Component Metal-Organic Frameworks Significantly Boost Visible-Light-Driven Hydrogen Production Coupled with Selective Organic Oxidation

Visible-light-driven hydrogen production coupled with selective organic oxidation has attracted increasing attention, as it not only provides clean and renewable energy, but also utilizes the other half reaction to achieve some value-added organic chemicals. Metal-organic frameworks based on metal clusters and organic ligands self-assembly give a perspective on the formation of multifunctional heterogeneous photocatalyst to significantly boost visible-light photocatalytic activities under mild conditions. By incorporating two types of photoactive units, tricarboxytriphenylamine (H₃ TCA ) and tris(4-(pyridinyl)phenyl)amine ( NPy₃ ), into a single metal-organic frameworks, a multi-component MOF Co- MIX was obtained. With the redox active metal centers enabling the photoexcitation reduction of protons into hydrogen and the photogenerated holes promoting considerable oxidation of substrates, the resulting Co- MIX exhibits high catalytic activity for the photocatalytic hydrogen production coupled with selective oxidation of benzylamine or 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline. Importantly, the photocatalytic experiments of single-component Co- TCA and Co- NPy₃ verified the positive synergistic effects on stability and photocatalytic ability of the two ligands (H₃ TCA and NPy₃ ) in one single MOF, revealing that the multi-component strategy is very important for the efficient charge separation and excellent photocatalytic activity of the catalyst.     

A Simple Ni-based Metal–organic Framework as Catalyst for Dye-sensitized Photocatalytic H2 Evolution from Water Reduction

Metal–organic frameworks (MOF) are recently developed coordination porous materials, and their unique structures are very conducive to catalytic reactions. In this paper, p-benzenedicarboxylic acid (PBA)-Ni²⁺ MOF materials (denoted as PBA-Ni-x, where x represents the initial ratio of PBA to Ni²⁺) were synthesized by a hydrothermal method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and N₂ gas adsorption. H₂ gas was produced using the synthesized MOF as a photocatalyst and Eosin Y as a photosensitizer. The dependence of the special surface area and thickness of the nanosheets of Ni-MOF on the initial ratio of PBA to Ni²⁺ (PBA/Ni²⁺) was investigated. The BET surface areas of PBA-Ni-1 PBA-Ni-2 and PBA-Ni-3 are 11.00, 24.61 and 13.04 m² g⁻¹, respectively. And the thicknesses of nanosheets are approximately 600–1000, 200–500 and 300–700 nm. Among the three materials, PBA-Ni-2 has the thinnest sheet-like structure and largest surface area. Thus, it displays the highest H₂ evolution rate of 20.0 μmol h⁻¹. The noble-metal-free hydrogen production system is valuable for the application of MOF materials in photocatalytic water splitting.