Photo-induced reversible nitric oxide capture by Fe-M(CO2H)4 (M = Co, Ni, Cu) as a building block of mixed-metal BTC-based MOFs.

Abstract

Metal-organic frameworks incorporating mixed-metal sites (MM-MOFs) have emerged as promising candidates in the development of sensing platforms for the detection of paramagnetic species. In this context, the present study explores the photo-induced switching behavior of mixed-metal Fe-M (M = Co, Ni, Cu) formate (Fe-M(CO2H)4), as an experimentally feasible strategy for the reversible capture of nitric oxide (NO). Using Fe-M(CO2H)4 as a building block of synthesized MOFs based on BTC (benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylic acid), molecular simulations of NO adsorption on Fe-M(CO2H)4 were conducted to provide a template for evaluating the behavior of BTC-based MOFs towards NO. Accordingly, the relationship between the magnetic properties and adsorption behaviors of Fe-M(CO2H)4 towards NO gas molecules was evaluated before and after photoexcitation. We show that the photo-induced effect on the magnetic properties of Fe-M(CO2H)4 changes the interaction strength between NO and the Fe-M(CO2H)4 systems. NO chemisorption over Fe-Ni(CO2H)4 indicates that nickel-doped Fe-BTC MOFs can be efficiently applied for capturing purposes. Moreover, our calculations show a switching behavior between physisorption and chemisorption of the NO molecules over Fe-Co(CO2H)4, occurring through magnetic modulation under UV-Vis irradiation. As far as we know, this is the first study that proposes light-controlled reversible NO capture using MOFs. The present study provides a promising platform for reversible NO capture using MM-MOF-incorporated BTC building blocks.