Microenvironment regulation of active sites for efficient photocatalytic reduction of nitrobenzene

Two manganese-based catalysts, Mn4L8 and Mn4L6, were synthesized to explore the influence of different metal coordination modes on photocatalytic activity. Crucially, the stronger Mn-O bonds in Mn4L6 hinder the generation of catalytically active sites-a limitation that is absent in Mn4L8 with its labile coordination bonds. This structural advantage enables Mn4L8 to achieve full conversion in the model photocatalytic reduction of nitrobenzene to aniline. Our findings establish a structure-activity paradigm for engineering highly active photocatalysts through rational coordination environment control.