In-situ synthesis of metal nanoparticles@metal-organic frameworks: Highly effective catalytic performance and...

M-NP@Zn-BIF (M-NP = Ag or Cu nanoparticle; Zn-BIF is a zinc-based boron imidazolate framework, Zn₂(BH(2-mim)₃)₂(obb); 2-mim = 2-methylimidazole; obb = 4,4'-oxybis(benzoate)) composites were successfully in-situ synthesized by utilizing the reducing ability of the BH bond contained in the Zn-BIF at room temperature without any additional chemical reduction reagents. These composites (225 μg/mL) exhibited excellent catalytic activity to convert 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol in 2.5 min and 6 min with a conversion rate of 99.9 %, respectively. In addition, Ag@Zn-BIF (50 μg/mL) showed highly synergistic antibacterial activity against both Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) with a bactericidal rate of approximately 99.9 %. An antibacterial mechanism was proposed for the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Superoxide radicals (O^2-) and hydroxyl radicals (OH) formed during the antibacterial process were shown to accelerate the death of bacteria. They also exhibited highly photocatalytic activity for Rhodamine B (RhB). When the concentration of the composites is 1000 μg/mL, the photocatalytic efficiency of Ag@Zn-BIF and Cu@Zn-BIF increased by 31.62 and 18.13 times compared with Zn-BIF, respectively. All in all, this study developed a simple and versatile integrated platform for the removal of nitrophenols, organic dyes, and the effective inactivation of bacteria in water.