First organic–inorganic hybrid nanomaterial constructed from a Keggin-type polyoxometallate and a copper-dithiocarbamate complex: Sonochemical synthesis, crystal structure and its adsorption performance for organic dye pollutants

Abstract

In this work, a novel organic–inorganic nanohybrid compound, namely [Cu{(HOCH2CH2)2NCS2}2]3[PW12O40] (1), was prepared via the reaction of a copper(II) dithiocarbamate complex, Cu{(HOCH2CH2)2NCS2}2, and a Keggin-type heteropolyacid, H3PW12O40. The nanohybrid 1 was characterized by FT-IR, UV–Vis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method, thermogravimetric analysis (TG), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), elemental analyses and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The structure of 1 consists of [PW12O40]3− building blocks and [Cu(HOCH2CH2)2NCS2)2]+ cationic moieties, which are packed together via electrostatic forces and substantial hydrogen-bonding interactions to establish a three-dimensional supramolecular framework. This nanohybrid exhibits very good adsorption performance for cationic organic pollutants; it can absorb 95% of methylene blue (MB) from an aqueous solution within 50min. The hybrid 1 can be easily separated from the reaction system and reused without any change in structure.