A Quasi-Metal–Organic Framework Based on Cobalt for Improved Catalytic Conversion of Aquatic Pollutant 4-Nitrophenol

To generate purposely defects that can increase the catalytic activity, cobalt-based metal–organic framework (MOF) TMU-10 has been subjected to thermal treatment under an air atmosphere at temperatures between 100 and 700 °C. This process causes partial ligand removal, generating structural additional hierarchical porosity in a convenient way. The resulting materials, denoted as quasi-MOFs, were subsequently employed catalysts for room-temperature borohydride reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). quasi obtained 300 °C (QT-300) exhibits excellent performance with apparent rate constant, activity factor, half-life time 2.8 × 10–2 s– 1, 282 s–1 g–1, 24.8 s, respectively, much better values than those parent TMU-10. Coexistence micro mesopores, coordinatively unsaturated cobalt nodes, tetrahedral Co(II) ions, Co(III) QT-300 are responsible this enhanced activity. Kinetic studies range 25–40 varying 4-NP BH4– concentrations agree Langmuir–Hinshelwood model which both reactants adsorbed on catalyst surface. Reduction by surface-hydrogen species is rate-determining step.