Cobalt Imidazolate Metal-Organic Frameworks Photosplit CO2 under Mild Reaction Conditions

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have shown great promise for CO2 capture and storage. However, the operation of chemical redox functions of framework substances and organic CO2-trapping entities which are spatially linked together to catalyze CO2 conversion has had much less attention. Reported herein is a cobalt-containing zeolitic imidazolate framework (Co-ZIF-9) which serves as a robust MOF cocatalyst to reduce CO2 by cooperating with a ruthenium-based photosensitizer. The catalytic turnover number of Co-ZIF-9 was about 450 within 2.5hours under mild reaction conditions, while still keeping its original reactivity during prolonged operation.