Decolorization of reactive red 198 using preferentially-oriented metal-organic framework thin films: A structure/property correlation

The aim of this work was to investigate the structure/property correlation in metal-organic framework thin films, in particular MOF-199, toward the decolorization of harmful organic dye reactive red 198. MOF thin films were fabricated on bare and surface-modified TiO2 substrates using a layer-by-layer deposition technique. Our results indicate that the preferentially-oriented MOF grown on DHBA-functionalized titania sublayer exhibits better photocatalytic activity due to its capability of absorbing a broader range of light. These films also exhibit an orientation-dependent adsorption behavior. While the MOF with oriented crystallites shows bigger adsorption capacity, its initial (kinetic) adsorption was lower when compared to the film grown on bare substrate. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.