Co 7 -cluster metal–organic frameworks for photocatalytic dehalogenation reduction

Photocatalytic dehalogenation reduction, which converts a C–X bond into a C–H bond, plays a significant role in synthetic catalysis and pollutant remediation. As an extreme challenge, the reduction is dramatically affected by the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) from the organic photoredox catalysts to the metal ions or cluster. By introducing photosensitive ligands and cluster based nodes into metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), herein, we report a new synthesized Co7(μ3-O)3 cluster MOFs by using the easily redox cobalt ions and the tetraphenylbenzene-1,4-diamine based ligand modified by the central skeleton, effectively regulating the redox potential. The synergistic interplay between the Co7(μ3-O)3 cluster and the photosensitive ligands enables an efficient PET process. This synergy provides a concise strategy for photocatalytic dehalogenation reduction using a cobalt-cluster MOF photocatalyst under mild conditions, which is successfully extended to both aryl halide and halogenated aromatic pollutants.