Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) as New Emerging Heterogeneous (photo-)catalysts

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) or porous coordination polymers (PCPs) have emerged as a new class of crystalline porous materials that feature a series of unique properties, such as ultrahigh surface areas and porosity, high content of transition metals, structural tuneability, and possibility to be modified after synthesis. Global energy demand and environmental pollution is increasing almost daily. Therefore, it is highly needed to find or switch to clean and renewable energy sources. Organic photochemistry developed deeply in the 1ast decades in which the nature of excited electronic states and the energy and electron transfer processes were thoroughly studied and finally well-understood. This understanding from molecular organic photochemistry can be moved to the design of MOFs. In this way, light harvesting and energy or electron transfer between donor and acceptor units can enhance the photocatalytic process based on design as compared to inorganic semiconductors. Light harvesting units can be polycyclic (hetero)aromatic compounds and functionalized organic dyes such as porphyrin that can ensure high molar absorptivity for visible wavelengths.

Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) as New Emerging Heterogeneous (photo-)catalysts Keywords:

Metal-organic frameworks , Photocatalysis , Organic photochemistry , Porphyrin , Heterogeneous catalyst