Zn-based and Al-based MOF photocatalysts with abundant oxygen vacancies for fixing nitrogen effectively under mild conditions

Abstract

Photocatalytic nitrogen fixation is an environmentally friendly process for turning atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia under mild conditions. In this study, MOF photocatalysts Zn-bpydc and Al-bpydc with good nitrogen fixation effect were prepared by a simple one-pot method. The rates of ammonia generation for Zn-bpydc and Al-bpydc at normal temperature and pressure were 796.1 µg g-1 h−1 and 684.0µg g-1 h−1, respectively. The ESR test demonstrated that Zn-bpydc exhibits a higher concentration of oxygen vacancies than Al-bpydc, allowing it to chemically adsorb N2 and construct an effective electron transport pathway, hence enhancing the catalyst’s photocatalytic activity. This study provides a simple, efficient and economical MOF photocatalysts that can contribute to sustainable development.