Facile synthesis of Cu-BDC metal organic framework with Ag-TiO2 nanocomposites for enhanced photocatalytic solar fuel production

Abstract

For the conversion of CO₂ to hydrocarbons using sunlight, the development of visible-light active photocatalysts is highly desirable. In this work, we report the copper-benzene dicarboxylate metal-organic frameworks (MOF) with silver-doped titanium oxide that has been modified with varying percentages of Ag-TiO₂. The synthesis involves a simple impregnation method to integrate Ag and TiO₂ nanoparticles onto Cu-BDC. High quantum efficiency, stability and selectivity are provided by the nanocomposites. Characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Field emission scanned electron microscope (FE-SEM), Transmission electron microscope (TEM), Photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) and others were carried out. Photocatalytic activity is evaluated under simulated solar light irradiation, demonstrating enhanced CO₂ reduction efficiency compared to pure TiO₂ and Cu-BDC. The highest methanol yield observed with Ag-TiO₂(1%)/Cu-BDC was 16 μmolg⁻¹catL⁻¹ which indicates an optimal balance between Ag-TiO₂ nanoparticles and Cu-BDC porous structure, facilitating efficient charge separation and maximizing catalytic activity. The Ag-TiO₂/Cu-BDC nanocomposite observed in the study did not undergo degradation since Cu-BDC possesses a stable and robust crystalline structure.