Doping Metal–Organic Frameworks for Water Oxidation, Carbon Dioxide Reduction, and Organic Photocatalysis

Catalytically competent Ir, Re, and Ru complexes H2L1–H2L6 with dicarboxylic acid functionalities were incorporated into a highly stable and porous Zr6O4(OH)4(bpdc)6 (UiO-67, bpdc = para-biphenyldicarboxylic acid) framework using a mix-and-match synthetic strategy. The matching ligand lengths between bpdc and L1–L6 ligands allowed the construction of highly crystalline UiO-67 frameworks (metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) 1–6) that were doped with L1–L6 ligands. MOFs 1–6 were isostructural to the parent UiO-67 framework as shown by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and exhibited high surface areas ranging from 1092 to 1497 m2/g. MOFs 1–6 were stable in air up to 400 °C and active catalysts in a range of reactions that are relevant to solar energy utilization. MOFs 1–3 containing [Cp*IrIII(dcppy)Cl] (H2L1), [Cp*IrIII(dcbpy)Cl]Cl (H2L2), and [IrIII(dcppy)2(H2O)2]OTf (H2L3) (where Cp* is pentamethylcyclopentadienyl, dcppy is 2-phenylpyridine-5,4′-dicarboxylic acid, and dcbpy is 2,2′-bipyridine-5,5′-dicarboxylic acid) were effective water oxidation catalysts (WOCs), with turnover frequencies (TOFs) of up to 4.8 h–1. The [ReI(CO)3(dcbpy)Cl] (H2L4) derivatized MOF 4 served as an active catalyst for photocatalytic CO2 reduction with a total turnover number (TON) of 10.9, three times higher than that of the homogeneous complex H2L4. MOFs 5 and 6 contained phosphorescent [IrIII(ppy)2(dcbpy)]Cl (H2L5) and [RuII(bpy)2(dcbpy)]Cl2 (H2L6) (where ppy is 2-phenylpyridine and bpy is 2,2′-bipyridine) and were used in three photocatalytic organic transformations (aza-Henry reaction, aerobic amine coupling, and aerobic oxidation of thioanisole) with very high activities. The inactivity of the parent UiO-67 framework and the reaction supernatants in catalytic water oxidation, CO2 reduction, and organic transformations indicate both the molecular origin and heterogeneous nature of these catalytic processes. The stability of the doped UiO-67 catalysts under catalytic conditions was also demonstrated by comparing PXRD patterns before and after catalysis. This work illustrates the potential of combining molecular catalysts and MOF structures in developing highly active heterogeneous catalysts for solar energy utilization.