A Porous Carbazolic Al-MOF for Efficient Aerobic Photo-Oxidation of Sulfides into Sulfoxides under Air

Inorg Chem. 2024 Mar 11;63(10):4707-4715. doi: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c04359. Epub 2024 Feb 27.

Abstract

A robust, microporous, and photoactive aluminum-based metal-organic framework (Al-MOF, LCU-600) has been assembled by an in situ-formed [Al3O(CO2)6] trinuclear building unit and a tritopic carbazole ligand. LCU-600 shows a high water stability and permanent porosity for N2 and CO2 adsorption. Notably, the incorporation of photoresponsive carbazole moieties into LCU-600 makes it a highly efficient and recyclable photocatalyst for aerobic photo-oxidation of sulfides into sulfoxides under an air atmosphere at room temperature. Mechanism investigations unveil that photogenerated holes (h+), superoxide radical anion (O2•-), and singlet oxygen (1O2) are critical active spices for the photo-oxidation reaction performed in an air atmosphere.