An Organic-Hybrid Zinc Iodocuprate with Bifunctional Catalytic Performance

The exploration of novel functional organic-hybrid heterometallic iodocuprates is of great significance for the potential photoelectric, photocatalytic, and electrocatalytic applications. Herein, a facile hydrothermal reaction of ZnO, CuI, CH₃CN, and 2,4,6-tris-2-pyridyl-1,3,5-triazine (TPTZ) in an HI aqueous solution at 80 °C for 6 days yielded an organic-hybrid zinc iodocuprate [Zn₂Cu₂I₆ (TPTZ)₂]·H₂O·CH₃CN (ZnCuI-1). ZnCuI-1 shows a new type of tetranuclear heterometallic iodide based on the combination of one rhombohedral [Cu₂I₂] cluster and two organic-hybrid zinc iodide [ZnI₂ (TPTZ)] units. ZnCuI-1 is first combined with a Ni nanoparticle and porous nickel foam (NF) to prepare a Ni/ZnCuI-1/NF electrode as an efficient electrocatalyst, which exhibits remarkable hydrogen evolution reaction activity with a low overpotential of 109 mV at 10 mA·cm^-2. Because the absorption edge of ZnCuI-1 is 1.48 eV and lies in the visible-light energy range for the suitable harvesting ability, ZnCuI-1 exhibits excellent photocurrent response and striking visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methylene blue. This work broadens the applied range of organic-hybrid heterometallic iodocuprates, offering the potential alternative materials for photoelectric, photocatalytic, and electrocatalytic applications.