Development of soluble UiO-66 to improve photocatalytic CO2 reduction

The conversion of CO 2 to valuable chemicals by photocatalysis has attracted widespread interesting. Owing to the linear structure of CO 2 molecule with strong C O bond, the surface reaction is considered as one of the main issues to restrict the conversion efficiency. Herein, soluble UiO-66 has been developed as co-catalyst to enhance the photocatalytic performance for CO 2 reduction. The soluble UiO-66 has presented the performance ca. 1.5 higher than the insoluble version, yielding 30.6 µmol/h for CO 2 to CO conversion by using 5.0 mg sample. This improvement can be attributed to the preserved framework by soluble UiO-66. Therefore, the chemisorption of CO 2 molecules can be improved, boosting the reduction reaction for CO production. This research provides a new path for a rational design of metal-organic framework (MOF) for photoredox catalysis, meanwhile inspiring advanced application of MOF catalysis with the soluble manner. The difference between the general UiO-66 and soluble UiO-66 in CO 2 photocatalytic reduction reaction. • A soluble UiO-66 MOF material is synthesized for CO 2 photoredox catalysis. • The product yield over soluble UiO-66 is much higher than the insoluble UiO-66. • The soluble UiO-66 maximizes the active sites, similar to a homogeneous catalyst. • This research has provided a path for design of MOFs by usage of its solubility.