Metal‐Organic Framework Derived Terephthalate Ligand Decorated TiO₂ with Various Morphologies for Efficient Photocatalytic H₂ Evolution

Abstract

It has been rarely reported the morphological control of derivatives of metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) in hydrothermal conditions for photocatalytic applications. We report here a family of highly efficient composite photocatalysts composed of terephthalic acid/terephthalate (TPA) ligand and TiO2 with various morphologies (e. g., nanoparticles, nanosheets, and nanorods). The composites are synthesized by a simple one‐step hydrothermal method in various solvents (i. e., H2O, HF, H2SO4, HCl, and HNO3) using Ti‐based MOF (MIL‐125(Ti)) as precursor. The formation mechanism of composite materials with different morphological features is discussed. Impressively, the composite of TiO2 nanoparticles/TPA synthesized using H2O as solvent under hydrothermal condition exhibits the highest photocatalytic H2 activity among the studied materials, with a photocatalytic H2 production rate of 6.38 mmol g−1 h−1, which is approximately 7.5‐fold higher than pure TiO2 (Degussa, P25) and prominent apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) of 65 % at 365 nm. Furthermore, the mechanism of boosted photocatalytic H2 production is discussed.

MOF-Derived In2O3 Microrod-Decorated MgIn2S4 Nanosheets: Z-Scheme Heterojunction for Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of Tetracycline

“…Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have been extensively studied in the field of multiphase catalysis over the past few years because of their structural clarity and abundance of unsaturated metal sites. − Since MOFs can be manufactured with a controlled size and morphology, they can be used as templates to create nanostructures with distinctive morphologies as desired. − In 2 O 3 is an excellent n-type semiconductor functional material, which has recently demonstrated strong competitiveness in the field of photocatalysis because of its high sensitivity, low resistivity, and wide band-gap width. − Among the various morphologies of In 2 O 3 , hollow tubular In 2 O 3 prepared by using In-based MOFs as a template is particularly novel. Lou et al developed a method to grow ZnIn 2 S 4 nanosheets with layered tubular heterostructures on the inner and outer surfaces of In 2 O 3 microtubules to construct a sandwich-shaped ZnIn 2 S 4 –In 2 O 3 as a photocatalyst.…”