Titanium-Based Metal-Organic Framework Photocatalysts for Photodegradation of Lignin Model to Produce Value-Added Chemicals

Solar energy is a sustainable alternative renewable resource that is abundant and continuously attempts to be useful. Photocatalysis is an environmentally friendly technology that supports light utilization, which is also promising for solar light and chemical use. Light and photocatalysts play essential roles in photocatalytic reactions. Metal-organic framework (MOF) has emerged as a new type of photocatalyst due to its intrinsic characteristics, such as high surface, variable metal center and organic ligands, and semiconductor-like behavior. Titanium-based metal-organic framework, NH₂-MIL-125(Ti), has been widely investigated for photocatalytic applications such as the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), carbon dioxide (CO₂) photoreduction, and organic pollutant degradation. Photocatalytic biomass conversion of NH₂-MIL-125(Ti) is interesting and challenging to study. In this work, NH₂-MIL-125(Ti) was studied in the photocatalytic conversion of 2-phenoxy-1-phenylethanol (PP-ol, a lignin dimer model compound). The study photocatalysis of breaking Cβ-O bonds in 2-phenoxy-1-phenylethanol is the challenge that will be based on the development of photodegradation of lignin, a biomass component. Modification of NH₂-MIL-125(Ti) with carbon material from lignin to improve photocatalytic performance was performed. The obtained materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and diffuse reflectance UV-vis spectroscopy (DRS). The results were found that modified carbon from lignin could improve photocatalytic performance under visible light of NH₂-MIL-125(Ti).