Nanoscale metal–organic
frameworks (NMOFs) represent a unique
class of solids with superior adsorption, mass transport, and catalytic
properties. In this study, a facile and novel approach was developed
for the generation of hybrid Cu-NMOF/Ce-doped-Mg-Al-LDH nanocatalyst
through in situ self-assembly and solvothermal synthesis of a 2D Cu-NMOF,
[Cu2(μ-OH)(μ4-btc)(phen)2]
n
·5nH2O {H3btc, trimesic acid; phen, 1,10-phenanthroline}, on
a cerium-doped Mg-Al layered double hydroxide (Ce-doped-Mg-Al-LDH)
matrix. Self-assembly between Cu-NMOF nanocrystals and exfoliated
LDH led to their nanoscale mixing and prevented the formation of aggregated
Cu-NMOF nanoparticles. In the resulting hybrid nanostructure, Cu-NMOF
nanocrystals (∼10–20 nm particle size) are anchored
uniformly on a Ce-doped-Mg-Al-LDH’s surface, possessing a dimension
of several hundred nanometers. Catalytic activity of Cu-NMOF/Ce-doped-Mg-Al-LDH
and Cu-NMOF was evaluated under ambient conditions in the reductive
degradation (discoloration) of aqueous solutions of 4-nitrophenol
(4-NP, model substrate) and a series of commercial organic dyes by
applying sodium borohydride as a reducing agent. The Cu-NMOF/Ce-doped-Mg-Al-LDH
nanocatalyst exhibited an outstanding catalytic activity toward degradation
of 4-NP, with k
app (rate constant) of
0.03 and a catalyst TOF (turnover frequency) up to 7.1 × 103 h–1. Full and very quick discoloration
of organic dyes {rhodamine B (RhB), methylene blue (MB), Congo red
(CR), methyl orange (MO), and rhodamine 6G (R6G)} was also achieved
with TOF values of up to 1.4 × 105/h. A superior activity
of the hybrid nanocatalyst over Cu-NMOF can be regarded as a synergic
effect among Cu-NMOF and Ce-doped-Mg-Al-LDH components, while the
Ce-doped-Mg-Al-LDH carrier acts as a cocatalyst. The hybrid nanocatalyst
can easily be recovered and reused successfully for the five consecutive
reaction runs with the same catalytic performance. This study also
shows that NMOFs can be easily incorporated onto conventional catalyst
supports, resulting in hybrid nanocatalysts with a highly uniform
structural architecture, controlled chemical composition, and excellent
catalytic function.