The enhanced photocatalytic activity of TiO2(B)/MIL-100(Fe) composite via Fe-O clusters

Black TiO2 and metal-organic frameworks (MOF) are great materials with light-harvesting ability, redox power and consequently catalytic activity. Here, the integration of MIL-100(Fe) with TiO2(B) composite was designed for photocatalytic application, which greatly promoted light-harvesting and charge transfer. As expected, the integrated TiO2(B)/MIL-100(Fe) composite showed high photocatalytic activity due to unique Fe-O-Ti bonds that were constructed, which acted as an electronic tunnel to reduce electronic transfer resistance between MIL-100(Fe) and TiO2(B). In addition, the presence of Fe-O clusters in MIL-100(Fe) can also promote the charge dissociation and improve catalytic activity via the Fe3+/Fe2+ redox cycle. This achievement would help us to understand and design charge transfer pathways in the integration of MOF/semiconductor photocatalysts.

Automated summary

The integration of MIL-100(Fe) with TiO2(B) composite exhibited high photocatalytic activity due to the unique Fe-O-Ti bonds and Fe-O clusters that promoted charge transfer and improved catalytic activity. This achievement contributes to understanding and designing charge transfer pathways in MOF/semiconductor photocatalysts integration.