Highly Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of Dyes by a Copper–Triazolate Metal–Organic Framework

A copper(I) 3,5‐diphenyltriazolate metal–organic framework (CuTz‐1) was synthesized and extensively characterized by using a multi‐technique approach. The combined results provided solid evidence that CuTz‐1 features an unprecedented Cu 5 tz 6 cluster as the secondary building unit (SBU) with channels approximately 8.3 Å in diameter. This metal–organic framework (MOF) material, which is both thermally and chemically (basic and acidic) stable, exhibited semiconductivity and high photocatalytic activity towards the degradation of dyes in the presence of H 2 O 2 . Its catalytic performance was superior to that of reported MOFs and comparable to some composites, which has been attributed to its high efficiency in generating . OH, the most active species for the degradation of dyes. It is suggested that the photogenerated holes are trapped by Cu I , which yields Cu II , the latter of which behaves as a catalyst for a Fenton‐like reaction to produce an excess amount of . OH in addition to that formed through the scavenging of photogenerated electrons by H 2 O 2 . Furthermore, it was shown that a dye mixture (methyl orange, methyl blue, methylene blue, and rhodamine B) could be totally decolorized by using CuTz‐1 as a photocatalyst in the presence of H 2 O 2 under the irradiation of a Xe lamp or natural sunlight.