A new type Co(II)-based photocatalyst for the nitrofurantoin antibiotic degradation

Coordination polymers (CPs) are a special class of multidimensional materials that can be employed for the photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics in wastewater. In this paper, a new Co(II)-based coordination polymer with the molecular formula {[Co(H2L)(dpa)(H2O)]·H2O}n (1), (H4L = 1,1′:2′,1"-triphenyltetracarboxylic acid, dpa = 1,2-di(pyridin-4-yl)diazene) was synthesized and characterized. Single-crystal x-ray diffraction results showed that 1 formed a 2D layered structure, which was stacked into a three-dimensional (3D) supramolecular structure through hydrogen-bonding interactions. In addition, the results of the photocatalytic experiments showed that 1 possesses good photocatalytic activity at nitrofurantoin (NFT). The photocatalytic mechanism has been discussed in detail.