Construction of pyrene-based hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks as photocatalysts for photooxidation of styrene in water

Using hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs) as photosensitizers to perform photocatalytic oxidation reactions under green and mild conditions is still a challenge for the application of HOFs materials. This study presents a novel approach that exploits HOFs to enhance the efficiency of photocatalytic oxidation for achieving visible light catalytic oxidation of styrene and its derivatives in the aqueous environment. By using 1,3,6,8-tetrakis(p-benzoic acid)pyrene (H4TBAPy) as the monomer, a pyrene-based hydrogen-bonded organic framework (PFC-1) with a microporous structure was successfully prepared. Compared with monomer H4TBAPy, due to the exciton effect and the interlayer confinement of HOFs, the singlet oxygen (1O2) production efficiency is significantly improved, which has great potential in photocatalytic oxidation reactions. Subsequently, the practicality of PFC-1 as a photocatalyst was studied, and the photocatalytic oxidation of styrene and its derivatives in aqueous solution was achieved under visible light with high catalytic efficiency, indicating that PFC-1 has significant potential to promote photocatalytic oxidation reactions under mild conditions. The utilization of HOFs as photosensitizers in this straightforward approach enables the attainment of green photocatalytic oxidation, hence expanding the potential applications of HOFs materials within the realm of photocatalysis.