Cu/Cux S-Embedded N,S-Doped Porous Carbon Derived in Situ from a MOF Designed for Efficient Catalysis

Abstract

The reasonable design of the precursor of a carbon-based nanocatalyst is an important pathway to improve catalytic performance. In this study, a simple solvothermal method was used to synthesize [Cu(TPT)(2,5-tdc)] ⋅ 2H₂ O (Cu-MOF), which contains N and S atoms, in one step. Further in-situ carbonization of the Cu-MOF as the precursor was used to synthesize Cu/Cu_x S-embedded N,S-doped porous carbon (Cu/Cu_x S/NSC) composites. The catalytic activities of the prepared Cu/Cu_x S/NSC were investigated through catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol (4-AP). The results show that the designed Cu/Cu_x S/NSC has exceptional catalytic activity and recycling stability, with a reaction rate constant of 0.0256 s^-1 , and the conversion rate still exceeds 90 % after 15 cycles. Meanwhile, the efficient catalytic reduction of dyes (CR, MO, MB and RhB) confirmed its versatility. Finally, the active sites of the Cu/Cu_x S/NSC catalysts were analyzed, and a possible multicomponent synergistic catalytic mechanism was proposed.

Keywords: carbon-based nanomaterials; catalytic reduction; metal-organic frameworks; non-precious-metal catalysts.