Degradation of azo dyes under visible light with stable MOF based on tetrastyrene imidazole ligand

Abstract

In the present work, a new 3D metal–organic framework (MOF) has been synthesized and characterized. The MOF exhibits good chemical stability in aqueous solutions with the pH scale ranging from 3 to 11. Interestingly, the MOF shows high catalytic activities for the degradation of azo dyes (MO, CR and CBR) under visible light without H₂O₂. The E_a values of the MOF for MO, CR and CBR degradation are obtained to be 23.49, 52.68 and 15.19 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. In addition, the MOF can be reused in the catalytic process without the catalytic activity decreasing obviously.