Sonochemical synthesis and structural characterization of an organic-inorganic nanohybrid based on a copper-dithiocarbamate complex and PMo₁₂O₄₀ ³⁻ polyanion as a novel sonocatalyst

A new organic-inorganic nanohybrid compound, ([Cu{(HOCH₂CH₂)₂NCS₂}₂]₃[PMo₁₂O₄₀] (1)), has been prepared by sonochemical technique using copper(II) dithiocarbamate complex and a Keggin-type polyoxomolybdate in this research. FT-IR, XRD, FE-SEM, TEM, EDX, UV–Vis, TGA, BET, and single crystal XRD analyses were applied to describe the properties of the composition of the nanohybrid. Compound (1) is composed of [PMo₁₂O₄₀]^3– building blocks and [Cu{(HOCH₂CH₂)₂NCS₂}₂]¹⁺ cationic moieties, and electrostatic forces and substantial hydrogen-bonding interactions were applied to pack them; and consequently, a three dimensional supramolecular framework was made based on single-crystal X-ray diffraction patterns. FE-SEM and TEM images approved the morphology of the nanohybrid sample to be extremely penetrable. Very good sonocatalytic performance is shown by this supramolecular nanohybrid in the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB), which is a cationic organic dye. The results showed complete degradation of cationic RhB (25 mg/L) within 70 min with the rate constant of 0.039min⁻¹ in the presence of nanohybrid (1) and H₂O₂ (4 mmol/L). Also, sonocatalytic activity of the nanohybrid (1) was higher than H₃PMo₁₂O₄₀, showing that the combining Cu(DEDTC)₂ complex with H₃PMo₁₂O₄₀ could be an excellent choice to improve its sonocatalytic activity. The used nanohybrid (1) can be recycled after easily removing from the reaction media by centrifuging, and there was no considerable loss of catalytic activity and retention of the structure.