Metal–Organic Framework Photocatalyst Incorporating Bis(4′-(4-carboxyphenyl)-terpyridine)ruthenium(II) for Visible-Light-Driven Carbon Dioxide Reduction

In this study, we
report the successful incorporation of the photoactive
bis­(4′-(4-carboxy­phenyl)-terpyridine)­ruthenium­(II)
(Ru­(cptpy)2) strut into a robust metal–organic
framework (MOF), AUBM-4. The single crystal X-ray analysis revealed
the formation of a new one-dimensional structure of Ru­(cptpy)2 complexes linked together by Zr atoms that are eight coordinated
with O atoms. The chemically stable MOF structure was employed as
an efficient photocatalyst for carbon dioxide conversion to formate
under visible light irradiation. To the best of our knowledge, the
obtained conversion rate is among the highest reported in the literature
for similar systems. Our strategy of using the Ru­(cptpy)2 complex as a linker to construct the MOF catalyst appears to be
very promising in artificial photosynthesis.