Fabrication of novel ZIF-8@BiVO4 composite with enhanced photocatalytic performance

Abstract

In this work, a novel metal-organic framework (MOF) and BiVO4 (BVO) composite photocatalyst was successfully synthesized by an in-situ growth method. The characterization of obtained samples was done by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, N2 adsorption, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The photocatalytic performance of ZIF-8@BiVO4 composite was evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under simulated visible light irradiation. Compared with the mixture of BVO and ZIF-8, the composite photocatalyst exhibited superior photodegradation efficiency, which could be attributed to the synergistic effect between BVO and ZIF-8. The reduced recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes was considered to be an important reason for the enhancement of photocatalytic performance. This design demonstrates a rational method to improve the photocatalytic performance by combining photocatalysts with MOFs.