Controllable Assembly of Vanadium-Containing Polyoxoniobate-Based Three-Dimensional Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Compounds and Their Photocatalytic Properties.

The controllable synthesis of two vanadium-containing polyoxoniobate-based three-dimensional organic-inorganic hybrid compounds, [Co(pn)2]4[HPNb10V(IV)2O40(V(IV)O)4]·17H2O (1) and [Co(pn)2]5PNb12O40(V(IV)O)67·15H2O (2), where pn = 1,2-diaminopropane, is realized by changing the hydrothermal temperature or adding N-(aminoethyl)piperazine as an additive. Both compounds 1 and 2 are structurally characterized by single-crystal/powder X-ray diffraction and IR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Compound 1 features a new divanadium-substituted Keggin polyoxoniobate capped by four vanadyl groups, and the polyanion in 2 exhibits the highest coordination number (10-connected) in polyoxoniobate chemistry. Moreover, the photocatalytic activities of 1 and 2 for hydrogen evolution are preliminarily assessed.