Flexible-functionalized Cd-MOFs for photocatalytic CO2 reduction: tuning framework flexibility via ligand design

Abstract

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), as a new class of porous heterogeneous materials, have been considered as a novel adsorbent material for CO₂ reduction in recent years due to their excellent adsorption capacity for CO₂, which is of great potential for development. In this paper, a Cd-containing metal–organic skeleton (AQNU-10) was successfully synthesized by adjusting the reaction temperature and solvent polarity using a semi-rigid polycarboxylic acid, H₃L, as a light-trapping organic ligand. It exhibited excellent photocatalytic performance, 128.81 μmol g⁻¹ for CO without adding any co-catalyst and photosensitizer, and could be stably recycled at least five times. The intrinsic mechanism of AQNU-10 in the photocatalytic CO₂ reduction process was explored through experimental characterization and testing.