Facile synthesis of Bi2MoO6–MIL-100(Fe) metal–organic framework composites with enhanced photocatalytic performance

Abstract

A novel Bi₂MoO₆–MIL-100(Fe) heterostructure photocatalyst was synthesized by a facile solvothermal method for the first time, and characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra, transmission electron microscopy, and photoluminescence spectra. The as-prepared Bi₂MoO₆–MIL-100(Fe) composites exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity and stability towards the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation. The introduction of MIL-100(Fe) into semiconductor Bi₂MoO₆ improved the photocatalytic performance remarkably, and the optimal composite with 9% MIL-100(Fe) content showed the highest photocatalytic activity. According to the active radical trapping experiments, the h⁺ and ˙O₂⁻ radicals were the two main active species in the photocatalytic reaction. The enhanced photocatalytic performance is mainly attributed to the formation of the Bi₂MoO₆–MIL-100(Fe) heterostructure, which is beneficial to the transfer and separation of photo-generated electron–hole pairs. The possible mechanism of the enhanced photocatalytic performance of the Bi₂MoO₆–MIL-100(Fe) composites was discussed.