Bimetal–Organic Frameworks for High Efficiency Catalytic Reduction

The design of efficient reduction catalysts is crucial for sustainable development in order to reduce waste and protect the environment. Here, an ultrathin bimetallic metal–organic framework (MOF) is synthesized and fabricated as an effective catalyst for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (which is harmful to the environment) to 4-aminophenol (which is an important chemical and pharmaceutical intermediate). The rapid reduction time of the as-prepared bimetallic CuNi-MOFs is 15 s, and the apparent rate constant is 0.153 s–1, which is far beyond the single-metal MOFs. Ultrafast transition absorption spectra show that Cu doping can induce defect states, which can effectively trap and store long-lived electrons in the catalytic process. X-ray photoelectron spectra verify that Cu doping changes the electron density distribution of CuNi-MOFs. It is believed that the introduction of Cu sites leads to synergistic effects of Cu and Ni sites, which significantly improves the catalytic activity of 4-NP.