A 3-D Wells–Dawson phosphotungstate hybrid material modified by Na⁺ and a bi-copper organic complex linker, and its photo-/electro-catalytic properties

An inorganic–organic hybrid material based on Dawson polyoxometalates, [Na₂{Cu^I₂(bim)₂}₂(P₂W₁₈O₆₂)]·2H₂O (bim = biimidazole) (1), has been hydrothermally synthesized and fully characterized. In 1, each {P₂W₁₈} cluster as a hexa-node ligand connects to six adjacent Dawson clusters via six Na1 ions to generate a pure inorganic 2-D layer, further joined by bimetal–organic segments [Cu₂(bim)₂]²⁺ to form a 3-D inorganic–organic hybrid framework with channels. The structure can be simplified to 3,8-connected 3-D networks with (4³)(4¹⁸·6²⁴·8³) topology, which shows bifunctional electrocatalytic performance for oxidation of ascorbic acid (AA) and reduction of nitrite (NO₂⁻), and high-efficient degradation ability for three typical dyes under UV light irradiation.