Synergistic effect of modified pore and heterojunction of MOF-derived α-Fe2O3/ZnO for superior photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue

• Published in: RSC advances Vol. 13; no. 6; pp. 3818 - 3834
• Main Authors: Liyana Labiba Zulfa, Ediati, Ratna, Alvin Romadhoni Putra Hidayat, Subagyo, Riki, Faaizatunnisa, Nuhaa, Kusumawati, Yuly, Hartanto, Djoko, Widiastuti, Nurul, Wahyu Prasetyo Utomo, Santoso, Mardi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Royal Society of Chemistry 24.01.2023; The Royal Society of Chemistry
• Subjects: Carrier recombination; Chemistry; Current carriers; Ferric oxide; Heterojunctions; Irradiation; Metal oxides; Metal-organic frameworks; Methylene blue; Optical properties; Performance degradation; Photodegradation; Synergistic effect; Zinc oxide
• ISSN: 2046-2069
• DOI: 10.1039/d2ra07946a

Mesoporous heterojunction MOF-derived α-Fe2O3/ZnO composites were prepared by a simple calcination of α-Fe2O3/ZIF-8 as a sacrificial template. The optical properties confirm that coupling of both the modified pore and the n–n heterojunction effectively reduces the possibility of photoinduced charge carrier recombination under irradiation. The mesoporous Fe(25)ZnO with 25% loading of α-Fe2O3 exhibited the best performance in MB degradation, up to ∼100% after 150 minutes irradiation, higher than that of pristine ZnO and α-Fe2O3. Furthermore, after three cycles reusability, mesoporous Fe(25)ZnO still showed an excellent stability performance of up to 95.42% for degradation of MB. The proposed photocatalytic mechanism of mesoporous Fe(25)ZnO for the degradation of MB corresponds to the n–n heterojunction system. This study provides a valuable reference for preparing mesoporous MOF-derived metal oxides with an n–n heterojunction system to enhance MB photodegradation.