Publication Date

8-2025

Advisor(s) - Committee Chair

Bangbo Yan, Lawrence Hill, Lei Li

Degree Program

Department of Chemistry

Degree Type

Master of Science

Abstract

Renewable energy has attracted significant interest in recent years as society seeks to minimize its dependence on fossil fuels. Among the various strategies proposed to achieve this goal, one promising approach is the conversion of carbon dioxide into organic fuels using photocatalysts. Unlike traditional semiconductor photocatalysts, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) offer advantages such as absorption of visible light, tunable structures, and uniform pore sizes, which enhance their efficiency in the photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide.

In this thesis, we report the synthesis, structure, and properties of two novel heteronuclear MOFs that incorporate ruthenium(II) complexes and 3d-block transition metals using 2,2’-bipyridine-5,5’-dicarboxylic acid (designated H2bpdc) ligand as linkers: [Fe3Ru(bpdc)3(Hbpdc)2(H2O)4]·2H2O (MOF 1), and [RuZn2(bpdc)3] (MOF 2). Both MOFs contain [Ru(L3)]n± (L= bpdc2− or Hbpdc−) complexes, which can function as photosensitizers, along with 3d transition metal ions (Fe(II) or Zn(II)), which can function as catalytic centers. The MOFs were characterized using single-crystal and powder X ray diffraction, UV–vis, IR, and fluorescence spectroscopy, as well as thermogravimetric analysis. MOF 1 features a two-dimensional (2D) network, in which the [Ru(L3)]n± complexes are bridged by Fe(II) ions or [Fe(H2O)4]2+ ions, while MOF 2 exhibits a three dimensional (3D) framework, in which the [Ru(L3)]n± complexes are bridged by Zn(II) ions. Preliminary results indicate that MOF 1 functions as an active catalyst for photocatalytic CO2 reduction.

Disciplines

Chemistry | Inorganic Chemistry | Physical Sciences and Mathematics

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