Photoluminescence, electrochemical behavior and photocatalytic activities of cobalt(II) coordination polymer nanostructures synthesized by sonochemical process

Nanostructures of a new Co(II) coordination polymer (CP), [Co(Hbibp)(nbta)]n (1), (bibp = 4,4′-bis(1-imidazolyl)biphenyl, H3nbta = 5-nitro-1,2,3-benzenetricarboxylic acid) was synthesized by a sonochemical method. The nano-sized CP 1 was characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Structural analysis show that CP 1 exhibits a 1D chain structure with a 3-connected SP 1-periodic net (4,4)(0,2) topology, which can be further extended into a 2D supramolecular layer by the NH⋯O hydrogen bond interactions. The thermal stability for CP 1 as bulk and nanoparticles were investigated. The photoluminescence properties and electrochemical behavior for nano-sized CP 1 have also been explored. Moreover, nano-sized CP 1 shows high photocatalytic activities for the degradation of MB under UV irradiation and the photodegradation process is mainly caused by OH radicals. Effects of the sonication time and ultrasonic power on the morphology and size of nanoparticles were studied.