Synthesis and Properties of Modified Aluminum-Containing Framework Compounds

— In this work, nickel- and iron-modified aluminum-containing framework compounds—highly porous stable nanomaterials—have been prepared for the first time using magnetron sputtering, an environmentally friendly method. The materials have been characterized by a variety of physicochemical methods: BET measurements, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and IR spectroscopy. We have assessed the catalytic activity of the synthesized bimetallic framework compounds for the hydrogen peroxide oxidation of an azo dye. The results demonstrate that the addition of a small amount of these catalysts leads to an increase in reaction rate constant. The nickel- and iron-modified aluminum-containing framework compounds have been shown to retain their performance for at least four cycles (with allowance for regeneration via triple treatment with ethanol). A mechanism has been proposed for the hydrogen peroxide oxidation of the dye in the presence of the synthesized metal complexes, in which hydroxyl radicals act as an oxidizing species.