Iron(iii)-based metal–organic frameworks as oxygen-evolving photocatalysts for water oxidation

Abstract

Development of economical and highly efficient catalysts to achieve visible light-induced water oxidation is a potential approach to mitigate energy shortage and global warming. Herein, we report Fe-based MOFs (MIL-53 and NH₂-MIL-53) which show photocatalytic activity for water oxidation under visible light. Compared with MIL-53 (Fe), NH₂-MIL-53 (Fe) shows higher photocatalytic efficiency for water oxidation due to the narrower band gap and more efficient separation of the photo-excited electron–hole pairs. Furthermore, through active species trapping experiments and mechanism studies, we find that the photogenerated holes and hydroxyl radicals are possibly responsible for the photocatalytic water oxidation activity of the Fe-based MOFs.