Synthesis of novel tetranuclear Ni complex incorporated mesoporous silica for improved photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue in presence of visible light

Abstract

Tetranuclear nickel complex, [Ni4(LH)4]·CH3CN (I) (LH3 = (E)-2-(hydroxymethyl)-6-(((2-hydroxyphenyl)imino)methyl)phenol)) was synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray analysis. The synthesized mesoporous material was functionalized with organic acid and then tetranuclear Ni complex was incorporated into the modified materials. The characterization of the catalysts were done by powder XRD, FT-IR, TGA, ICP, SEM etc. to have insight into the structural integrity, existence of guest entities in the materials, and other vital parameters. The rise in the activities in photocatalysis was observed after immobilization of the Ni complex onto the surface of acid-functionalized porous materials. The prepared materials were found to be highly active in the degradation of methylene blue (MB) and showed a maximum 92 % degradation in a very short time (15 min) with Ni complex incorporated acid-functionalized MCM-48. The prepared materials are robust in nature and recyclable up to the 4th cycle with good degradation.