Photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes by a stable and biocompatible Zn(II) MOF having ferulic acid: Experimental findings and theoretical correlation

The photocatalytic properties of d10-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been developed as a potential technology in the photo-degradation of organic dyes. Herein, a biocompatible metal-organic framework (MOF) {[Zn2(fer)2]∙0.5H2O}n (1) (fer = ferulic acid) has been selected which shows photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methyl violet (MV) and Rhodamine B (Rh B) in aqueous solution under UV irradiation. The photocatalytic results indicated the 1 exhibit 88% photocatalytic efficiency against Rh B in 100 min, while its against MV was only 54% under the identical experimental conditions. Moreover, a possible mechanism for the photocatalytic activity has proposed by density of states (DOS) calculations.