Isoreticular Metal–Organic Framework-Confined Copper Nanowires for Broadband Solar Harvesting and Enhanced Pyrene Photodegradation

Abstract

A study featuring the in situ encapsulation of Pd/Al heterostructured motifs within isoreticular metal-organic framework (IRMOF-8) for efficient photocatalytic degradation of pyrene is presented. In this study, hybridized surface plasmon resonance in Pd-decorated Cu nanowires intensified broadband solar absorption across the visible and ultraviolet regions. Furthermore, coordinated optimization of three Pd loadings minimized noble-metal usage without compromising catalytic activity. Also, decorating plasmonic Cu nanowire reactors with Al nanocrystal antennas resulted in photocatalytic activity that exceeded the combined performance of the individual components. Using 0.6 g/L of 0.025 M Pd-Cu NWs@IRMOF-8, a remarkable 99.07% pyrene removal was achieved after sequential adsorption, light irradiation, and ultrasonication for 30 min each (kapp = 0.06957 min–1). This system outperformed the 0.1 M Al-loaded analog, which achieved 85.11% pyrene degradation under identical conditions (kapp = 0.02645 min–1). A detailed mechanistic survey, supported by GC–MS analyses, provides crucial insights into the synergistic interfacial interactions responsible for enhanced polybenzenoid hydrocarbon degradation.