Organic Frameworks Enabling Efficient News Today

The constant need for carbon-rich fuels to power the economy increases atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Even if efforts are being made to cut CO2 emissions, this will not be enough to reverse the harmful impacts of the gas that is already in the atmosphere.

Researchers from Tokyo Tech have developed a tin-based metal–organic framework (MOF) that can photocatalytically reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) into formate under visible light. The tin-based MOF exhibited a high apparent quantum yield of 9.8% and carried out extremely selective photoreduction without needing an additional photosensitizer. This could prove extremely useful, as currently, most metal complexes for reducing CO2 to useful chemicals utilize expensive, rare and precious metals.