The Role of Photo in Oxygen Evolution Reaction: A Review

Photo enhanced oxygen evolution reaction has recently emerged as an advanced strategy with great application prospects for highly efficient energy conversion and storage. In the course of photo enhanced oxygen evolution reactions, the other works focus has predominantly centered on catalysts while inadvertently overlooking the pivotal role of photo. Consequently, this manuscript embarks upon a comprehensive review of recent advancements in photo-driven, aiming to illuminate this critical dimension. A detailed introduction to the photothermal effect, photoelectronic effect, photon-induced surface plasmon resonance, photo and heterojunction, photo-induced reversible geometric conversion, photo-induced energy barrier reduction, photo-induced chemical effect, photo-charging, and the synthesis of laser/photo-assisted catalysts, offering prospects for the development of each case is provided. A detailed introduction to the photothermal effect, photoelectronic effect, photon-induced surface plasmon resonance, photo and heterojunction, photo-induced reversible geometric conversion, photo-induced energy barrier reduction, photo-induced chemical effect, photo-charging, and the synthesis of laser/photo-assisted catalysts is provided. At the same time, the overpotential and Tafel slope of some catalysts mentioned above at 10 mA cm-2 is collected, and calculated the lifting efficiency of light on them, offering prospects for the development of each case.

MOFs as Versatile Catalysts: Synthesis Strategies and Applications in Value-Added Compound Production

Catalysts played a crucial role in advancing modern human civilization, from ancient times to the industrial revolution. Due to high cost and limited availability of traditional catalysts, there is a need to develop cost-effective, high-activity, and nonprecious metal-based electrocatalysts. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as an ideal candidate for heterogeneous catalysis due to their physicochemical properties, hybrid inorganic/organic structures, uncoordinated metal sites, and accessible organic sections. MOFs are high nanoporous crystalline materials that can be used as catalysts to facilitate polymerization reactions. Their chemical and structural diversity make them effective for various reactions compared to traditional catalysts. MOFs have been applied in gas storage and separation, ion-exchange, drug delivery, luminescence, sensing, nanofilters, water purification, and catalysis. The review focuses on MOF-enabled heterogeneous catalysis for value-added compound production, including alcohol oxidation, olefin oligomerization, and polymerization reactions. MOFs offer tunable porosity, high spatial density, and single-crystal XRD control over catalyst properties. In this review, MOFs were focused on reactions of CO2 fixation, CO2 reduction, and photoelectrochemical water splitting. Overall, MOFs have great potential as versatile catalysts for diverse applications in the future.

Preparation, Characterization, and Application of Metal Oxide-Doped Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) attract the attention of researchers due to their unique properties, such as high surface area, porosity, and stability. Therefore, in this study, the synthesis of zeolitic imidazole frameworks (ZIF-8), a subclass of MOFs, and copper oxide (Cu2O) and manganese oxide (MnO2) containing ZIF-8 was carried out by a mixing method with methanol. The characterization results show that the polyhedral structure of ZIF-8 was prepared with a surface area of 2088 m2/g and a crystallite size of 43.48 nm. Then, each and mixture of two metal oxides were introduced into the ZIF-8 crystal structure. It was found that the surface area and pore volumes of all metal/ZIF-8 samples decreased with metal loading, depending on the type and ratio of metal oxides. The ZIF-8 containing 4.0 wt % Cu2O and 1.0 wt % MnO2 had the highest surface area (2084 m2/g), which was closest to that of ZIF-8. The polyhedral structure was maintained by the addition of both metal oxides, and the crystal size of the material decreased with the loading of MnO2 to the ZIF-8 structure. All of the synthesized samples were analyzed in supercapacitor applications and a relatively higher value of specific capacitance was obtained for Cu-Mn/ZIF-8 due to higher surface area and improved conductivity. In addition to supercapacitor applications, the properties of metal/ZIF-8 are also promising for applications such as catalysts, membranes, and gas storage.

Modification of bimetal Zn/ Mg MOF with nanoparticles Fe3O4 and Fe3O4@SiO2, investigation of the peroxidase-like activity of these compounds by calorimetry and fluorimetry methods

In this article; the bimetal metal-organic framework Zn/Mg (Zn/Mg MOF) is synthesized. Then Zn/Mg MOF bimetal was combined with Fe₃O₄ and Fe₃O₄@SiO₂, and composites of Fe₃O₄@ SiO₂/MOF/Dextrin, Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/MOF, Fe₃O₄@MOF/Dextrin and Fe₃O₄@MOF made. The peroxidase-like activity of these compounds was investigated and compared by calorimetric Resazurin (Rz) and O-phenylenediamine (OPD); (Rz-H₂O₂, OPD-H₂O₂) and fluorimetric Rz and terephtalic acid (TA); (Rz-H₂O₂, TA-H₂O₂). The Fe₃O₄@ MOF/Dextrin composite has the highest peroxidase-like activity. The effect factors (amount of pH (6), the values of TA (1.37 mM), H₂O₂ (0.025 mM), reaction time (8.15 min), and amount of Composite (116.67 mg)) to increase the catalytic activity of Fe₃O₄@ MOF/Dextrin measured by chemometrics method. The most suitable linear range of the calibration curve by the TA-H₂O₂ -Composite fluorimetric method is 1-600 μg L^-1, and the detection limit is 2.27 μg L^-1. The relative standard deviation (RSD%) for measuring concentration atropine 1 μg L^-1 (n = 6) is 1.18%. Finally, from this system for measuring atropine extracted by the Liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) method in two types of plants, D. Innoxia north and west and D. stramonium north and west of Iran (118.25 μg L^-1, 79.80 μg L^-1) and (18.477 μg L^-1, 9.27 μg L^-1) used, respectively.

Recent advances in metal-based nanoporous materials for sensing environmentally-related biomolecules

Highly sensitive, stable, selective, efficient, and short reaction time sensors play a substantial role in daily life/industry and are the need of the day. Due to the rising environmental issues, nanoporous carbon and metal-based materials have attracted significant attention in environmental analysis owing to their intriguing and multifunctional properties and cost-effective and rapid detection of different analytes by sensing applications. Environmental-related issues such as pollution have been a significant threat to the world. Therefore, it is necessary to fabricate highly promising performance-based sensor materials with excellent reliability, selectivity and good sensitivity for monitoring various analytes. In this regard, different methods have been employed to fabricate these sensors comprising metal, metal oxides, metal oxide carbon composites and MOFs leading to the formation of nanoporous metal and carbon composites. These composites have exceptional properties such as large surface area, distinctive porosity, and high conductivity, making them promising candidates for several versatile sensing applications. This review covers recent advances and significant studies in the sensing field of various nanoporous metal and carbon composites. Key challenges and future opportunities in this exciting field are also part of this review.

MXene Quantum Dot/Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework Nanocarriers for Dual Stimulus Triggered Tumor Chemo-Phototherapy

It is critical to construct stimuli-responsive multifunctional nanoparticles for the drug delivery system for cancer treatment. Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) has a large specific surface area and decomposes quickly under acidic conditions, which presents an excellent potential in pH-sensitive drug carriers. However, the mere chemotherapeutic drug loaded into ZIF-8 is a monotherapy and may restrict the therapeutic efficacy of malignancies. In this work, an effective nanoparticle-based delivery platform is established to simultaneously encapsulate doxorubicin (DOX) and MXene quantum dot (MQD) in ZIF-8 nanoparticles (MQD@ZIF-8/DOX). Under near-infrared (NIR) laser (808 nm) and UV light (365 nm) irradiation, MQD@ZIF-8 demonstrates a high photothermal conversion efficiency and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, which shows excellent photothermal therapy and photodynamic therapy effects. Furthermore, the release of DOX-loaded into MQD@ZIF-8 nanoparticles is significantly increased under NIR laser irradiation and at pH 5.6, indicating that acidic conditions and NIR laser irradiation can be effectively combined to stimulate the drug release. The cellular experiments show that MQD@ZIF-8/DOX has an obvious killing effect on HeLa cells and achieves the combined anti-tumor effect of chemotherapy and phototherapy.

Metal Sub-nanoclusters Confined within Hierarchical Porous Carbons with High Oxidation Activity

Metal sub-nanoclusters (SNCs) have shown great promise for a variety of catalytic reactions. However, the fabrication of stable metal SNCs simultaneously with high dispersion and high metal contents remains a challenge. Herein, we report a novel and versatile strategy for the synthesis of various bimetal SNCs stabilized within hierarchical porous carbons (HPC). This facile synthesis only involves the self-assembly of a metal-organic framework (MOF) as the precursor, a molten salt assisted pyrolysis process and the final metal replacement. The metal SNCs (mostly less than 0.8 nm) derived from the metal nodes of the MOF are exclusively confined and homogeneously dispersed throughout the organic ligands derived HPC at high loadings (up to 11.2 wt %). The obtained Cu-Pd@HPC composite exhibits superior catalytic activity and recycling durability in the selective transformation of furfural to maleic acid, achieving 97.8 % yield of maleic acid with a TOF value as high as 20.1 h^-1 under mild conditions. DFT calculations reveal that the introduction of Pd shifts the partial density of states of Cu toward the Fermi level, leading to stronger chemisorption of furfural to enhance the catalytic activity.

Capture of iodine in solution and vapor phases by newly synthesized and characterized encapsulated Cu2O nanoparticles into the TMU-17-NH2 MOF

The efficient capture and storage of radioactive iodine (¹²⁹I or ¹³¹I) formed during the extensive use of nuclear energy is of paramount importance. Therefore, it is a great deal to design new adsorbents for effectively disposing of iodine from nuclear waste. In this work, a new Cu₂O/TMU-17-NH₂ composite has been prepared by a simple encapsulation of Cu₂O nanoparticles (NPs) into the metal organic framework (MOF) TMU-17-NH₂ for the first time. The as-synthesized Cu₂O/TMU-17-NH₂ was fully characterized in details and the iodine sorption/release capability of the Cu₂O/TMU-17-NH₂ composite has been investigated both in solution and in the vapor phase. According to the FE-SEM images, the Cu₂O/TMU-17-NH₂ was obtained with same morphology to that of the pristine TMU-17-NH₂. The I₂ sorption/release experiments were examined by UV-vis spectroscopy. The optimal iodine sorption was obtained by almost complete removal of iodine with a sorption capacity of about 567 mg/g. Detailed experimental evidence demonstrating that the iodine was captured by chemisorption process. Furthermore, photoluminescence (PL) properties of Cu₂O/TMU-17-NH₂ have also been investigated in which indicate that the Cu₂O/TMU-17-NH₂ composite exhibits stronger emission than the pristine TMU-17-NH₂.

Metal Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals in Metal-Organic Framework Host: Not Merely Enhanced Stability

As an emerging optical material, perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) exhibit excellent optoelectronic properties and show great potential for various optoelectronic applications. However, the inherent inferior stability against moisture, oxygen, light and heat limit their practical application. As well, the exploration and development of perovskite NCs with novel properties and functions are new challenges. To achieve these goals, the integration and encapsulation of perovskite NCs with multifunctional metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to form perovskite NC@MOF composites, is a promising strategy for enhancing the stability and broadening the application scope. In this minireview, we summarize and discuss the synthesis strategies and functional mechanisms of perovskite NC@MOF composites, along with applications of light emitting diodes (LED), information security, photocatalysis, sensing, and detection. We further briefly point out the current challenges as well as the future opportunities for the emerged composite materials.

Spider Chitin. The biomimetic potential and applications of Caribena versicolor tubular chitin

Diverse fields of modern technology and biomedicine can benefit from the application of ready-to-use chitin-based scaffolds. In this work we show for the first time the applicability of tubular and porous chitin from Caribena versicolor spiders as a scaffold for the development of an effective CuO/Cu(OH)₂ catalyst for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol (4-AM), and as a scaffold for the tissue engineering of selected cells. The formation of CuO/Cu(OH)₂ phases on and within the chitinous tubes leads to a hybrid material with excellent catalytic performance with respect to the reduction of p-nitrophenol. On the other hand, experimental results provide for the first time strong evidence for the biocompatibility of spider chitin with different cell types, a human progenitor cell line (hPheo1), as well as cardiomyocytes differentiated from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC-CMs) that were cultured on a tube-like scaffold.

Encapsulating Perovskite Quantum Dots in Iron-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) for Efficient Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction

Improving the stability of lead halide perovskite quantum dots (QDs) in a system containing water is the key for their practical application in artificial photosynthesis. Herein, we encapsulate low-cost CH₃ NH₃ PbI₃ (MAPbI₃ ) perovskite QDs in the pores of earth-abundant Fe-porphyrin based metal organic framework (MOF) PCN-221(Fe_x ) by a sequential deposition route, to construct a series of composite photocatalysts of MAPbI₃ @PCN-221(Fe_x ) (x=0-1). Protected by the MOF the composite photocatalysts exhibit much improved stability in reaction systems containing water. The close contact of QDs to the Fe catalytic site in the MOF, allows the photogenerated electrons in the QDs to transfer rapidly the Fe catalytic sites to enhance the photocatalytic activity for CO₂ reduction. Using water as an electron source, MAPbI₃ @PCN-221(Fe_0.2 ) exhibits a record-high total yield of 1559 μmol g^-1 for photocatalytic CO₂ reduction to CO (34 %) and CH₄ (66 %), 38 times higher than that of PCN-221(Fe_0.2 ) in the absence of perovskite QDs.

Fabrication of Integrated Cu2O@HKUST-1@Au Nanocatalysts via Galvanic Replacements toward Alcohols Oxidation Application

Metastable Cu₂O is an attractive material for the architectural design of integrated nanomaterials. In this context, the in situ growth of microporous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) on Cu₂O nanocrystals with well-defined shapes (such as octahedron, truncated octahedron, and corner-truncated cube) was conducted under ambient conditions by using sacrificial Cu₂O nanocrystals as a copper ion source for the construction of HKUST-1. It was found that the growth rate of HKUST-1 on the (111) facet of octahedral Cu₂O was much faster than that on the (100) facet of cubic Cu₂O. A subsequent etching process on the core-shell-structured Cu₂O@HKUST-1 to remove Cu₂O results in hollow HKUST-1 with hierarchical pores, where the shapes of cavities are tailored depending on the original Cu₂O crystals. Importantly, it was found that the integrated Cu₂O@HKUST-1@Au nanocatalysts could be fabricated by galvanic replacement reaction between Cu₂O and AuCl₄^-, wherein the copper(I) ions from Cu₂O etching diffuse through the microporous MOF shell and reach to the external surface to reduce AuCl₄^- ions, thereby forming Au nanoparticles exclusively on the MOF external surface. Furthermore, the catalytic applications of Cu₂O@HKUST-1@Au toward liquid-phase oxidation of both aromatic and aliphatic alcohols were studied. Notably, 100% selectivities of aldehyde products were achieved without any further oxidation byproducts such as acid and ester.