A new La(III)-MOF: crystal structure and photodegradation of Rhodamine B

Abstract

Organic dyes have been widely used in industry but mistreatment of their use and disposal can have negative consequences on human health. A technique based on solid photocatalysts is feasible for remediating organic dyes without additional harmful byproducts or additives. Recently, metal-organic frameworks formed by the metal ions and organic linkers have been studied in the areas of photocatalysis and biomedicine. In this study, the assembly reaction of 2-CNB ligand with La(CH3COO)3 generated a metal-organic framework, [La(2-CNB)(CH3COO)2(H2O)] n (1, 2-CNB = 2-cyanobenzoic acid). Its high degradation efficiency makes 1 an effective photocatalyst for Rhodamine B (RhB) photodegradation under irradiation by UV light, with a degradation efficiency of 97.78% within 90 min.