Photocatalytic and magnetic properties of two Ni(II) metal-organic complexes based on 6,6′-di(benzimidazol-2-yl)-2,2′-bipyridine

Two Ni(II)-based monomeric complexes with the formulas of [Ni(dbb)(H2O)2] (1) and [Ni2(H2dbb)2(xda) (H2O)2] (2) (H2dbb = 6,6 '-di(benzimidazol-2-yl)-2,2 '-bipyridine, H4xda = 5,5 '-(1,4-xylylenediamino) diisoph-thalic acid) have been successfully synthesized under solvothermal conditions. Structural analysis revealed that the discrete monomers of 1 and 2 extend into high-dimensional networks through intermolecular hydrogen bonds, pi center dot center dot center dot pi stacking interactions and weak intermolecular interactions. As novel photocatalyst materials, 1 and 2 exhibited active performance towards the degradation of methyl violet (MV) under UV irradiation. Besides, the cyclic experiments indicated that 2 was stable and reusable, enabling it to be potential candidates for dye-containing wastewater treatment. The possible mechanism of the photocatalytic performance was also investi-gated in detail. Moreover, the magnetic susceptibility measurements of 1 and 2 demonstrated that week anti-ferromagnetic interactions were operative between the Ni(II) ions.

Automated summary

Two Ni(II)-based monomeric complexes were successfully synthesized under solvothermal conditions, and their high-dimensional networks were formed through intermolecular hydrogen bonds, π-π stacking interactions, and weak intermolecular interactions. As novel photocatalyst materials, they exhibited active performance towards the degradation of methyl violet, and the second complex showed stability and reusability.