A novel copper molybdate inorganic–organic hybrid network synthesized by in-situ generation of pyridine-4-carboxylic ion from 1,3-bis(4-pyridyl) propane precursor

A novel three-dimensional copper molybdate [CuI(PCI)Mo2VO5] (1) (PCI = pyridine-4-carboxylic ion) has been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, TG, XPS and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. In compound 1, the {Mo2VO5N}n dimeric chains alternately connect to copper chains via corner-sharing mode to form the bimetallic{CuIMo2VO5N}n layer. These adjacent layers are linked by PCI ligands to generate a 3D framework. Interestingly, the PCI ligand is generated from the 1,3-bis(4-pyridyl) propane precursor via catalytic oxidation of polyoxomolybdate and copper cation. The electrochemical and electrocatalysis behavior of compound 1 have been studied in detail.