Photocatalytically active metal–organic derived ensembles for organic pollutant degradation

Abstract

The thermal treatment of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) incorporating multiple metal elements produces solids with specific features that strongly depend on the parent MOF composition. Thus, metal–organic derived ensembles (MODEs) can be obtained from the pyrolysis process of multi-metal MOFs and can be composed of differently distributed chemical components. In particular, here we show how a series of isoreticular multi-metal MOFs with different combinations of up to four metal elements (Zn, Co, Mn, Ca) subjected to the same thermal process produce complex materials with similar yet distinct composition and distribution of their components. Their characterization using a combination of techniques shows that thermal treatment under a nitrogen atmosphere results in the formation of solids with the presence of metal nanoparticles supported on metal fluoride, which are embedded in a carbonaceous matrix. We prove that they are effective in the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants, such as organic dyes or drugs.