Facile Synthesis of Potassium Poly(heptazine imide) (PHIK)/Ti-Based Metal-Organic Framework (MIL-125-NH2) Composites for Photocatalytic Applications.

Photocatalytically active composites comprising potassium poly(heptazine imide) (PHIK) and a Ti-based metal-organic framework (MOF, MIL-125-NH2) are prepared in situ by simply dispersing both materials in water. The driving forces of composite formation are the electrostatic interactions between the solids and the diffusion of potassium ions from PHIK to MIL-125-NH2. This mechanism implies that other composites of poly(heptazine imide) salts and different MOFs bearing positive surface charge can potentially be obtained in a similar fashion. The suggested strategy thus opens a new avenue for the facile synthesis of such materials. The composites are shown to have a superior photocatalytic activity in Rhodamine B degradation under blue light irradiation. The reaction rate is doubled compared to that of pure MOF compound and is 7 times higher than the activity of the pristine PHIK. The results of the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) investigations and the analysis of the electronic structures of the solids suggest the electron transfer from MIL-125-NH2 to PHIK in the composite. The possible pathways for the dye degradation and the rationalization of the increased activity of the composites are elaborated.