Simultaneously efficient adsorption and photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline by Fe-based MOFs

Two-dimension N-doped nanoporous carbon from KCl thermal exfoliation of Zn-ZIF-L: Efficient adsorption for tetracycline and optimizing of response surface model

N-doped nanoporous carbon (NC) with two-dimensional structure derived from Zn-ZIF-L via KCl exfoliation and carbonization at different temperature were prepared for adsorptive removal of tetracycline (TC). Characterizations revealed the effective dopant of N atoms and low degree of graphitization with more defects related to the enhanced adsorption capacity of the NC materials. Benefiting from the huge surface area (2195.57 m² g^-1), high porosity (1.34 cm³ g^-1) and accessible sheeting structure, the NC-800 exhibited its fast and efficient adsorption of TC in 60 min. Meantime, the maximum adsorption of TC could reach 347.06 mg g^-1. Effects of pH, humic acid (HA) and ionic strength (Na⁺, Ca²⁺) were studied along with the interactions among influencing factors investigated by response surface model (RSM). By optimizing experimental conditions from RSM, the adsorption capacity could increase to 427.41 mg g^-1. Additionally, electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bond interaction might play a dominating role in adsorption reaction. The NC-800 could maintain a high adsorption level after four cycles. Therefore, the NC-800 with great adsorptive property and reusability could be considered as an effective adsorbent with promising potential in applications for water treatment.

In2S3/BiOI composites boost visible-light photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride

In₂S₃/BiOI composites have potential to degrade tetracycline hydrochloride under visible light due to the synergistic effect between In₂S₃ and BiOI.

Design and application of metal-organic frameworks and derivatives as heterogeneous Fenton-like catalysts for organic wastewater treatment: A review

Advanced oxidation process (AOP), with a high oxidation efficiency, fast reaction speed (relatively no secondary pollution), has become one of the core technologies of industrial wastewater and advanced drinking water treatment. Heterogeneous Fenton-like oxidation process (HFOP) is a kind of AOP, which developed rapidly in recent years in such a way to overcome the disadvantages of traditional Fenton reaction. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and their derivatives become essential heterogeneous catalysts for organics mineralization due to the large specific surface area, abundant active sites, and ease of structural regulation. However, the knowledge gap on the mechanism and the fate of heterogeneous catalyst species during organics degradation activities by MOFs presents considerable impediments, particularly for a wide application and scaling up the process. This work has the potential to provide guidance and ideas for researchers and engineers in the fields of environmental remediation, environmental catalysis and functional materials. This review focuses on clarifying the critical mechanism of •OH production from MOFs and derivatives as well as its action on the organic's degradation process. The recent developments in MOF based HFOP are compared, and more attention is paid for the following aspects in this review: (1) classifies systematically progressive modification methods of MOFs by chemical and physical treatments; (2) analyzes the fate of catalytic species during treating organic wastewater; (3) proposes design ideas and principles for improving the performance of MOFs catalysts; (4) discusses the main factors influencing the catalytic properties and practical application; (5) summarizes the possible research challenges and directions for MOFs and their derivatives as catalysts applied to wastewater treatment in the future.

Effects of ligand functionalization on the band gaps and luminescent properties of a Zr12 oxo-cluster based metal–organic framework

Herein, effective optical band gap engineering of a robust Zr₁₂ oxo-based hcp UiO-66 has been realized through linker functionalization.

A critical review on advanced oxidation processes for the removal of trace organic contaminants: A voyage from individual to integrated processes

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), such as photolysis, photocatalysis, ozonation, Fenton process, anodic oxidation, sonolysis, and wet air oxidation, have been investigated extensively for the removal of a wide range of trace organic contaminants (TrOCs). A standalone AOP may not achieve complete removal of a broad group of TrOCs. When combined, AOPs produce more hydroxyl radicals, thus performing better degradation of the TrOCs. A number of studies have reported significant improvement in TrOC degradation efficiency by using a combination of AOPs. This review briefly discusses the individual AOPs and their limitations towards the degradation of TrOCs containing different functional groups. It also classifies integrated AOPs and comprehensively explains their effectiveness for the degradation of a wide range of TrOCs. Integrated AOPs are categorized as UV irradiation based AOPs, ozonation/Fenton process-based AOPs, and electrochemical AOPs. Under appropriate conditions, combined AOPs not only initiate degradation but may also lead to complete mineralization. Various factors can affect the efficiency of integrated processes including water chemistry, the molecular structure of TrCOs, and ions co-occurring in water. For example, the presence of organic ions (e.g., humic acid and fulvic acid) and inorganic ions (e.g., halide, carbonate, and nitrate ions) in water can have a significant impact. In general, these ions either convert to high redox potential radicals upon collision with other reactive species and increase the reaction rates, or may act as radical scavengers and decrease the process efficiency.

A Critical Review on Metal-Organic Frameworks and Their Composites as Advanced Materials for Adsorption and Photocatalytic Degradation of Emerging Organic Pollutants from Wastewater

Water-borne emerging pollutants are among the greatest concern of our modern society. Many of these pollutants are categorized as endocrine disruptors due to their environmental toxicities. They are harmful to humans, aquatic animals, and plants, to the larger extent, destroying the ecosystem. Thus, effective environmental remediations of these pollutants became necessary. Among the various remediation techniques, adsorption and photocatalytic degradation have been single out as the most promising. This review is devoted to the compilations and analysis of the role of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and their composites as potential materials for such applications. Emerging organic pollutants, like dyes, herbicides, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, phenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and perfluorinated alkyl substances, have been extensively studied. Important parameters that affect these processes, such as surface area, bandgap, percentage removal, equilibrium time, adsorption capacity, and recyclability, are documented. Finally, we paint the current scenario and challenges that need to be addressed for MOFs and their composites to be exploited for commercial applications.

Manganese-cerium composite oxide pyrolyzed from metal organic framework supporting palladium nanoparticles for efficient toluene oxidation

Manganese-cerium metal oxide with flocculent structure prepared via the pyrolysis of Mn/Ce-MOF and supported Pd were applied for the catalytic oxidation of toluene. The Pd/Mn3Ce2-300 catalyst could completely oxidize toluene at 190 °C, which presented excellent catalytic performance. Moreover, Pd/Mn3Ce2-300 possessed great reusability, stability and water resistance even under 10 vol% water vapors. A series of characterizations including X-ray diffraction (XRD), N₂ adsorption-desorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and H₂ temperature programmed reduction (H₂-TPR) were used to investigate the physicochemical properties of the samples. It was found that Pd/Mn3Ce2-300 possessed a better reduction ability at low temperature, more surface absorbed oxygen and surface Pd species, and a strong interaction between Pd and Mn3Ce2-300, resulting in great catalytic performance for toluene degradation.

Bimetallic metal-organic frameworks anchored corncob-derived porous carbon photocatalysts for synergistic degradation of organic pollutants

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising for photocatalysis owing to their excellent structure and performance. Unfortunately, poor stability in both aqueous solutions and high temperatures and lack of adsorption centers during reactions limit their practical applications. Herein, a bimetallic MOF anchored corncob calcined derived activated carbon (CCAC) was successfully prepared by a one-step solvothermal method. Benefiting from unique structures and synergetic effect, the porous carbon provided a high specific surface area for stable MOF support and served as an organic pollutant buffer-reservoir, which was advantageous for efficient photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants. The optimized MOF/CCAC-5 samples possessed excellent visible light degradation rate, i.e., 100% for Rh B, more than 96% for six mixed dyes, and 98% for tetracycline. This prominent photocatalytic activity was caused by active species, including photoelectrons (e^-), photo-holes (h⁺) and superoxide free radicals (•O^2-). The transient photocurrent response and electrochemical impedance tests showed that MOF/CCAC-5 exhibited a relatively high charge separation and low carrier recombination rate. Cyclic and simulation experiments indicated high reusability, stability and universality of the composite photocatalysts. These exciting results provide new pathways for the fabrication of MOFs anchored porous carbon materials.

Photocatalysis for Organic Wastewater Treatment: From the Basis to Current Challenges for Society

Organic pollutants such as dyes, antibiotics, analgesics, herbicides, pesticides, and stimulants become major sources of water pollution. Several treatments such as absorptions, coagulation, filtration, and oxidations were introduced and experimentally carried out to overcome these problems. Nowadays, an advanced technique by photocatalytic degradation attracts the attention of most researchers due to its interesting and promising mechanism that allows spontaneous and non-spontaneous reactions as they utilized light energy to initiate the reaction. However, only a few numbers of photocatalysts reported were able to completely degrade organic pollutants. In the past decade, the number of preparation techniques of photocatalyst such as doping, morphology manipulation, metal loading, and coupling heterojunction were studied and tested. Thus, in this paper, we reviewed details on the fundamentals, common photocatalyst preparation for coupling heterojunction, morphological effect, and photocatalyst’s characterization techniques. The important variables such as catalyst dosage, pH, and initial concentration of sample pollution, irradiation time by light, temperature system, durability, and stability of the catalyst that potentially affect the efficiency of the process were also discussed. Overall, this paper offers an in-depth perspective of photocatalytic degradation of sample pollutions and its future direction.

NH2-MIL-88B (Fe α In1-α ) mixed-MOFs designed for enhancing photocatalytic Cr(vi) reduction and tetracycline elimination

Aiming at solving the issue of wastewater purification, this work synthesized NH₂-MIL-88B (Fe_αIn_1−α) photocatalysts by a simple one-pot method, which was employed for photocatalytic reduction of Cr(vi) and oxidation of TC-HCl. Compared with traditional NH₂-MIL-88B (Fe) photocatalysts, NH₂-MIL-88B (Fe_0.6In_0.4) displayed excellent photocatalytic performance; the photocatalytic redox rate for Cr(vi) and TC-HCl reached 86.83% and 72.05%, respectively. The good photocatalytic performance might be attributed to the metal-to-metal charge transition (MMCT) between Fe–O clusters and In–O clusters formed by doping In(iii) into NH₂-MIL-88B (Fe), which provides effective active sites for the photocatalytic reduction and oxidation routes. Besides, the synergistic effect of the ligand-to-metal charge transition (LMCT) and MMCT expands the separation and transfer of photogenerated carriers and inhibits the recombination of electron–hole pairs, thus effectively improving the photocatalytic performance. Therefore, this work could provide a new method for the construction of mixed metal MOFs for the photocatalytic degradation of pollutants.

Aiming at solving the issue of wastewater purification, this work synthesized NH₂-MIL-88B (Fe_αIn_1−α) photocatalysts by a simple one-pot method, which was employed for photocatalytic reduction of Cr(vi) and oxidation of TC-HCl.

Synthesis of CdS-loaded (CuC10H26N6)3(PW12O40)2 for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline under simulated solar light irradiation

Largely discharged and excreted medical pollutants pose huge threats to ecosystems. However, typical photocatalysts, such as the Keggin-typed H₃PW₁₂O₄₀, can hardly degrade these hazards under visible-light due to their broad bandgap and catalytic disability. In this work, the visible light harvesting was enabled by combining macrocyclic coordination compound CuC₁₀H₂₆N₆Cl₂O₈ with H₃PW₁₂O₄₀, and the resulting CuPW was loaded with CdS to reach robust catalytic ability to totally detoxify medicines. We prepared the CuPW–CdS composites through a facile precipitation method, and it showed excellent photocatalytic degradation for degrading tetracycline under visible-light irradiation. The (CuC₁₀H₂₆N₆)₃(PW₁₂O₄₀)₂ with 10 wt% load of CdS shows the highest performance and is ∼6 times more efficient than the pure CuPW counterpart. The heterojunctional CuPW–CdS composites promote the separation of electrons and holes, and consequentially enhance photocatalytic activity. Thanks to migration of electrons from CdS to CuPW, the photocorrosion of CdS is prohibited, resulting in a high chemical stability during photocatalysis. In this work we design a new route to the multi-structural composite photocatalysts for practical applications in medical pollutant decontamination.

We demonstrated the incorporation of (CuC₁₂H₃₀N₆)²⁺ into the a Keggin type H₃PW₁₂O₄₀ by a simple one-pot self-assembly process. A heterojunction structure was constructed by introducing CdS which has high photocatalytic activities.

Fabrication, characterization, and application of ternary magnetic recyclable Bi2WO6/BiOI@Fe3O4 composite for photodegradation of tetracycline in aqueous solutions

We aim at fabricating a ternary magnetic recyclable Bi₂WO₆/BiOI@Fe₃O₄ composite that could be applied for photodegradation of tetracycline (TC) from synthetic wastewater. To identify any changes with respect to the composite's morphology and crystal structure properties, ΧRD, FTIR, FESEM-EDS, PL and VSM analyses are carried out. The effects of Fe₃O₄ loading ratio on the Bi₂WO₆/BiOI for TC photodegradation are evaluated, while operational parameters such as pH, reaction time, TC concentration, and photocatalyst's dose are optimized. Removal mechanisms of the TC by the composite and its photodegradation pathways are elaborated. With respect to its performance, under the same optimized conditions (1 g/L of dose; 5 mg/L of TC; pH 7; 3 h of reaction time), the Bi₂WO₆/BiOI@5%Fe₃O₄ composite has the highest TC removal (97%), as compared to the Bi₂WO₆ (63%). After being saturated, the spent photocatalyst could be magnetically separated from solution for subsequent use. In spite of three consecutive cycles with 71% of efficiency, the spent composite still has reasonable photocatalytic activities for reuse. Overall, this suggests that the composite is a promising photocatalyst for TC removal from aqueous solutions.

Environmental application of magnetic cellulose derived from Pennisetum sinese Roxb for efficient tetracycline removal

Pennisetum sinese Roxb is a kind of forage with high yield and high quality. However, because only the leaves are used as feed, most straw is discarded or burned, causing pollution and resources waste. In this study, a magnetic cellulose adsorbent produced by extracting cellulose from Pennisetum sinese Roxb straw was used to adsorb antibiotic tetracycline (TC) from water and can be easily separated. The physicochemical properties of the obtained cellulose samples were studied. The adsorption process was mediated by multiple mechanisms including intra-particle diffusion, chemical ion exchange, hydrogen bonding, and electrostatic interaction. We determined the optimal pH, contact time, initial TC concentration, and temperature before investigating the effects of humic acid and ionic strength on the adsorption process. Our results demonstrate that the magnetic cellulose is a promising adsorbent for the removal of TC from water and is worth to be studied further to develop real-world implementation strategies.

Synthesis of nanospindle-akaganéite and its photocatalytic degradation for methyl orange

Iron oxyhydroxides as important catalysts and environmental mineral materials have drawn significant interest for their potential applications in the field of wastewater treatment. In this work, we investigated the influence of nonionic surfactant Brij30 or glucose (0.01 wt%) on the formation of iron precipitates in iron(III) chloride solutions for 3 days at 40, 60 and 80 °C. The results showed that the presence of glucose or Brij30 could promote the nanospindle-akaganéite formation and the akaganéite with a length of 300-500 nm obtained at 60 °C was the optimal catalyst for organic photocatalysis degradation. Further, we investigated the capacity of C60 akaganéite for degradation removal of methyl orange (MO) under the action of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) addition and/or UV irradiation, and in the presence of different radical scavengers at pH 4.5. We also researched the effects of various levels of H₂O₂ and catalyst, and the reaction pH values. It was found that akaganéites could remove almost 100% of MO under 100 mg·L^-1 of catalyst and H₂O₂ at pH 4.5. Akaganéite maintained 86% of MO removal capacity after four successive cycles. Our results can be used as a reference for the synthesis of environmentally functional material and the application in photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutant.

Rapid degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride by heterogeneous photocatalysis coupling persulfate oxidation with MIL-53(Fe) under visible light irradiation

This work demonstrates a facile route to assemble MIL-53(Fe) by solvothermal method. Sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation processes (SR-AOPs) coupling with photocatalysis based on MIL-53(Fe) were investigated under visible light. The catalytic effect of MIL-53(Fe) for the degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC-HCl) was systematically studied, as well as the reusability of the catalyst and the effect of operating parameters. The results indicated that 99.7 % of TC (300 mg/L) could be degraded within 80 min in the SR-AOPs coupling with photocatalysis processes, as compared to 71.4 % for the SR-AOPs and only 17.1 % for the photocatalysis. The trapping experiments and electron spin-resonance spectroscopy (ESR) showed the photogenerated electrons of MIL-53(Fe) under visible light irritation were trapped by persulfate to generated sulfate radicals which effectively suppressed the recombination of photogenerated carriers. And also, the SO₄^- could be formed by the conversion between Fe (Ⅲ) and Fe (Ⅱ) in MIL-53(Fe). Moreover, OH and O₂^- generated by the reaction increased significantly due to the increase of SO₄^- which generated more OH and reduced photogenerated carrier recombination respectively. Thus, the degradation efficiency of TC-HCl was improved. Furthermore, the degradation pathway for TC-HCl was proposed using the theoretical calculations and liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry.

Hierarchical N-doped TiO2@Bi2WxMo1-xO6 core-shell nanofibers for boosting visible-light-driven photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical activities

Heterogeneous photocatalysis has been proven to be a promising approach to overcome the great challenges encountered with conventional technologies for environmental remediation. Herein, for the first time, a novel hierarchical architecture of nitrogen-doped TiO₂@Bi₂W_xMo_1-xO₆ (N-T@BWMO-x, x = 0-1.0) was rationally designed and fabricated through an electrospinning route followed by a solvothermal process. The photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared samples was evaluated based on the degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) under visible-light irradiation. The results indicated that the molar fraction of W/Mo has a strong impact on the photocatalytic efficiency and photoelectrochemical performance of the N-T@BWMO composites. Compared to N-TiO₂ and the binary composites, N-T@BWMO-0.25 exhibited outstanding photocatalytic activity and significant cycling stability. The enhanced photocatalytic activity can be synergistically linked to the excellent native adsorption, extended light-harvesting region, hierarchical structure, and strong interfacial interaction between N-TiO₂ and BWMO, which can effectively prolong the lifetime of charge-carriers. Moreover, active species-trapping and electron paramagnetic resonance results confirmed that holes and superoxide radicals were the dominant active species responsible for TC removal. A possible photocatalytic mechanism underlying the degradation of TC by N-T@BWMO-0.25 is also proposed. We expect that our findings will provide new insights into the use of highly efficient core-shell heterostructure photocatalysts, with potential applications in environmental decontamination.

Two novel sets of UiO-66@ metal oxide/graphene oxide Z-scheme heterojunction: Insight into tetracycline and malathion photodegradation

Nowadays, widespread researches have been focused on the development of effective photocatalysts to remove pollutants of the aquatic system. In accordance with the universal studies, two new sets of UiO-66@ metal oxide (including ZnO and TiO₂)/graphene oxide heterojunctions were synthesized for photodegradation of aromatic (tetracycline) and nonaromatic (malathion) pollutants which are challenging cases in the environment. The dosage of the photocatalyst, pH of the solution, the type of metal oxide, and the presence of various scavengers are assayed parameters in this work. In the optimum condition, maximum photodegradation efficiency is achieved in 90 min for tetracycline (81%) and malathion (100%) by the UiO-66@ZnO/graphene oxide. The superior separation of charge carriers by Z-scheme mechanism, excellent electron mobility on layers of graphene oxide and high surface area are factors that enhanced the efficiency. Furthermore, in comparison with pure UiO-66, the band gaps belong to heterojunctions revealed a red shift in the absorption edge, which can be responsible for more expand adsorption of the solar spectrum. Total organic carbon analysis verified the decontamination of these pollutants in the solution. The produced main intermediates during the photocatalytic process were identified and the possible degradation pathway proposed. In general, the superior photocatalytic activity suggests that these designed photocatalysts can be a promising choice for having a clean future.

Modified MIL-100(Fe) for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline under visible-light irradiation

Iron-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with low cost and excellent photocatalytic potential are extremely attractive in the field of energy utilization and environmental remediation. In this study, a novel In₂S₃/MIL-100(Fe) photocatalyst was successfully synthesized by a facile solvothermal method for the first time. Several technologies (such as X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) were used to characterize the as-obtained samples and demonstrate the successful combination of MIL-100(Fe) and In₂S₃. Experimental results showed that 18% of tetracycline (TC) was adsorbed under dark condition and another 70% of TC was degraded under visible-light irradiation when treating 100 mL of TC solution (10 mg/L) with 30 mg of In₂S₃/MIL-100(Fe) composites. The corresponding TC removal efficiency was almost 1.9 and 1.6 times higher than that of pure MIL-100(Fe) and In₂S₃, respectively. The mechanism investigations revealed that the heterojunction composite exhibited superior charge transfer than either MIL-100(Fe) or In₂S₃, and this caused more efficient separation of electron-hole pairs. As a result, more radicals and holes were generated in the composite, leading to better photocatalytic performance. This work highlights the powerful combination of MOFs and semiconductor, which is a promising approach to fabricate heterojunction photocatalyst for wastewater purification.

Polyaniline modified MIL-100(Fe) for enhanced photocatalytic Cr(VI) reduction and tetracycline degradation under white light

The Z-scheme MIL-100(Fe)/PANI composite photocatalysts were facilely prepared from MIL-100(Fe) and polyaniline (PANI) by ball-milling, and were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-visible diffuse-reflectance spectrometry (UV-vis DRS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and photoluminescence emission spectrometry (PL). The photocatalytic activities of MIL-100(Fe)/PANI composites were investigated via tetracycline degradation and hexavalent chromium reduction in aqueous solution under the irradiation of white light. The results revealed that the MIL-100(Fe)/PANI composite photocatalysts exhibited outstanding photocatalytic activities toward Cr(VI) reduction and tetracycline decomposition. The effects of pH and coexisting ions on the photocatalytic Cr(VI) reduction were investigated. As well, the primary active species were identified via electron spin resonance (ESR) determination. A possible Z-scheme photocatalyst mechanism was proposed and verified. Finally, MIL-100(Fe)/PANI composites demonstrated good reusability and stability in water solution, implying potentially practical applications for real wastewater treatment.

Pig manure-derived nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon for adsorption and catalytic oxidation of tetracycline

Ordered nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon (NMC) was successfully synthesized with pig manure as the precursor. The resulting NMC materials exhibited excellent capacity of adsorption and potassium persulfate (PS) activation when used as catalysts for the oxidative degradation of tetracycline antibiotics (tetracycline hydrochloride (TH) as the target). For an initial TH concentration of 35 mg/L, the maximum adsorption capacity of NMC material prepared at 700 °C (NMC700) was 122.0 mg/g, and the degradation efficiency in the PS reaction system was 94.8% within 120 min. Investigation of the mechanism indicated that the NMC700 material with specific surface area (SSA) of 275.5 m²/g and 0.7% graphitic N content, provided a large amount of active sites for adsorption and catalytic oxidation of TH. Based on the results of selective degradation and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) experiments, a non-radical pathway for the degradation of pollutants was proposed. Chronoamperometry evaluation also supported the conclusion that the NMC material enhanced electron transfer to activate persulfate, accelerating the removal of TH.

Porous Polymer-Titanium Dioxide/Copper Composite with Improved Photocatalytic Activity toward Degradation of Organic Pollutants in Wastewater: Fabrication and Characterization as Well as Photocatalytic Activity Evaluation

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) and TiO2/copper (denoted as TC) composite were prepared via hydrothermal process. In the meantime, divinylbenzene (DVB) and bismaleimide (BMI) monomers were allowed to participate in in-situ radical polymerization in the presence of azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) initiator to afford porous polymers (abridged as PP). The as-obtained PP were mixed together with tetrabutyl titanate (TBT) and CuSO4·5H2O in vacuum to obtain PP/TC composite (denoted as PPTC) containing incorporated TC composite in the pores of PP. The as-prepared TiO2, TC, and PPTC were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, fluorescence spectrometry, and electron spin resonance spectrometry, and so on. Furthermore, their photocatalytic activity for the degradation of N,N-dimethylformamide, methyl orange, phenol, and methylene blue under the irradiation of simulated sunlight (Xe lamp light) and natural sunlight were investigated. Findings indicated that, whether under simulated sunlight or nature sunlight irradiation, PPTC exhibited much better photocatalytic performance than TiO2 and TC for the degradation of the tested organic pollutants. Particularly, it allowed N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) to be degraded by a rate of 73.7% under simulated sunlight irradiation and it retained photocatalytic activity even after six cycles of reuse, exhibiting promising potential for the removal of organic pollutants in wastewater (including industrial water, aquaculture wastewater, and domestic sewage). The desired photocatalytic performance of the as-prepared PPTC is attributed to two aspects. Namely, the incorporation of Cu2+ into the fine structure of TiO2 contributes to increasing photocatalyst activity and producing more free radical while the embedding of TC composite into the PP pores improves to the contact area between the photocatalyst and organic pollutants, and both are beneficial for improving the adsorption capacity and activity of the photocatalyst, thereby enhancing the degradation of the organic pollutants.

Superior Adsorption and Photocatalytic Degradation Capability of Mesoporous LaFeO3/g-C3N4 for Removal of Oxytetracycline

Mesoporous LaFeO3/g-C3N4 Z-scheme heterojunctions (LFC) were synthesized via the incorporation of LaFeO3 nanoparticles and porous g-C3N4 ultrathin nanosheets. The as prepared LFC were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, Raman spectra and N2 adsorption analysis. The structural analysis indicated that the reheating process and the addition of NH4Cl in the thermal polymerization were the key factors to get porous g-C3N4 ultrathin nanosheets and to obtain high specific surface areas of LFC. It remarkably enhanced the adsorption capacity and photocatalytic degradation of LFC for removal of oxytetracycline (OTC). The effect of the mass percentage of LaFeO3 in LFC, pH and temperature on the OTC adsorption was investigated. The LaFeO3/g-C3N4 heterojunction with 2 wt % LaFeO3 (2-LFC) exhibited highest saturated adsorption capacity (101.67 mg g−1) and largest photocatalytic degradation rate constant (1.35 L g−1 min−1), which was about 9 and 5 times higher than that of bulk g-C3N4 (CN), respectively. This work provided a facile method to prepare mesoporous LaFeO3/g-C3N4 heterojunctions with especially well adsorption and photocatalytic activities for OTC, which can facilitate its practical applications in pollution control.

Functionalized metal-organic frameworks for photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants in environment

Currently, many kinds of organic pollutants in air and water have a negative impact on humans and the environment. Notably, as a type of new functional materials, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with well-ordered porous structures and numerous active sites have been proven to be ideal photocatalysts for the degradation of organic pollutants. In the past few years, many encouraging achievements have been made in the research field of MOFs for photocatalysis. And a large number of functionalized MOFs have been constructed to improve photocatalytic activity. In this review, recent progress in the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants in both air and water using functionalized MOFs are summarized in detail. The focus is on photocatalytic mechanisms and some strategies employed to achieve higher degradation efficiency. Furthermore, the challenges and outlooks in this promising filed are also discussed. We hope this review would be useful for designing more functionalized MOFs with greater photocatalytic performance for the degradation of organic pollutants in the environment.

Enhanced dark adsorption and visible-light-driven photocatalytic properties of narrower-band-gap Cu2S decorated Cu2O nanocomposites for efficient removal of organic pollutants

The Cu₂S-decorated Cu₂O nanocomposites were synthesized by a facile co-precipitation and calcination method, and used as adsorbent and photocatalyst to remove organic pollutants from wastewater. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted to investigate the influences of molar ratio of Cu₂O to Cu₂S, initial solution pH, coexisting anion and temperature on the adsorption performances. As-obtained Cu₂O/Cu₂S-9/1 nanocomposite with high specific surface area (45.88 m²/g) exhibited superior adsorption ability towards Congo red, methyl orange and tetracycline in aqueous solution. The adsorption of organics onto the nanocomposite was a spontaneous and exothermic process, and the adsorption processes could be well described by the Freundlich isothermic and Pseudo-second-order kinetic models. The Cu₂O/Cu₂S-9/1 nanocomposite also showed excellent photocatalytic degradation activities for organic pollutants. Optical properties characterization suggested that the decoration of Cu₂S could effectively enhance visible-light absorption and inhibit the recombination of photo-generated electron-hole pairs. ESR tests and trapping experiments of reactive species indicated that both superoxide radicals (O₂^-) and holes (h⁺) were crucial for the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants. Moreover, the photocatalytic efficiency of Cu₂O/Cu₂S-9/1 nanocomposite had no significant decrease even after four consecutive runs. The bifunctional nanocomposite as adsorbent and photocatalyst presents a great potential in treating organic-contaminated wastewater.

Ag2O-decorated electrospun BiVO4 nanofibers with enhanced photocatalytic performance

Semiconductor photocatalysts are emerging as tools for pollutant degradation in industrial wastewater, air purification, antibacterial applications, etc. due to their use of visible light, which is abundant in sunlight. Here, we report a new type of p–n junction Ag₂O/BiVO₄ heterogeneous nanostructured photocatalyst with enhanced photocatalytic performance. P-type Ag₂O nanoparticles were in situ reduced and assembled on the surface of electrospun BiVO₄ nanofibers using ultraviolet (UV) irradiation; this process hindered the recombination of localized photogenerated electron–hole pairs, and hence resulted in the enhanced photocatalytic activity of the BiVO₄/Ag₂O nanocomposites. The photocatalytic activities of the obtained BiVO₄ and BiVO₄/Ag₂O nanocomposites were assessed by measuring the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light. The 10 wt% Ag₂O/BiVO₄ sample yielded the optimum degradation of RhB (98.47%), much higher than that yielded by pure BiVO₄ nanofibers (64.67%). No obvious change in the XRD pattern of an Ag₂O/BiVO₄ sample occurred as a result of its use in the photocatalytic reaction, indicating its excellent stability. The high photocatalytic performance observed was attributed to the large surface-to-volume ratio of the essentially one-dimensional electrospun BiVO₄ nanofibers and to the in situ growth of p-type Ag₂O on the surface of the n-type BiVO₄ nanofibers.

Ag₂O doped electrospun BiVO₄ nanofibers with p–n junction heterogeneous structures show enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light (photocatalytic efficiency: 98.47% within 100 min) and good cycling stability.

MIL-100(Fe) and its derivatives: from synthesis to application for wastewater decontamination

MIL-100(Fe), an environmental-friendly and water-stable metal-organic framework (MOF), has caught increasing research and application attention in the recent decade. Thanks to its mesoporous structure and eximious surface area, MIL-100(Fe) has been utilized as precursors for synthesizing various porous materials under high thermolysis temperature, which makes the derivatives of MIL-100(Fe) pretty promising candidates for the decontamination of wastewater. Herein, this review systematically summarizes the versatile synthetic methods and conditions for optimizing the properties of MIL-100(Fe) and its derivatives. Then, diverse environmental applications (i.e., adsorption, photocatalysis, and Fenton-like reaction) of MIL-100(Fe) and its derivatives and the corresponding removal mechanisms are detailed in the discussion. Finally, existing knowledge gaps related to fabrications and applications are discussed to close and promote the future development of MIL-100(Fe) and its derivatives toward environmental applications. Graphical abstract.

Sustainable synthesis of modulated Fe-MOFs with enhanced catalyst performance for persulfate to degrade organic pollutants

In this study, four typical modulators (NH₄OH(A), CH₃COOH(B), CH₃COONa(C) and CH₃COONH₄(D)) were applied to modulate the microwave-assisted synthesis of Fe-MOFs. The effects of various modulators on the yield, electrochemistry activity and PS activation capacity of prepared catalysts were systematically investigated. The ideal modulator was revealed as the 7.5 mM CH₃COONH₄. Contributed by the defects caused by the dual effects of CH₃COONH₄, Fe-MOFs-D-7.5/PS system showed excellent orange G (OG) degradation with high reaction stoichiometric efficiency (RSE) and desirable recycling performance. The main radicals should be SO₄^·- and O₂^·- which were confirmed by EPR and chemical quenchers. Furthermore, the frontier molecular orbital (FMO) theory and dual descriptor (DD) method were employed in predicting radical attacking sites of OG. According to the results of theoretical computations and experimental detection, degradation pathways of OG in Fe-MOFs-D-7.5/PS system were proposed. Similar to the function of the battery, this study gives new insight into the possible mediatory roles of Fe-MOFs-D-7.5 in PS activation by transferring the electrons between PS and the unsaturated metal sites (CUS). The Fe-MOFs-D-7.5/PS system is a promising process for environmental remediation.

Recent advances in MOF-based photocatalysis: environmental remediation under visible light

Highly photoactive MOFs can be engineered via various strategies for the purpose of extended visible light absorption, more efficient generation, separation and transfer of charge carriers, as well as good recyclability.

Unique and efficient adsorbents for highly selective and reverse adsorption and separation of dyes via the introduction of SO3H functional groups into a metal–organic framework

In this study, an unsaturated Cu-based MOF, HKUST (Cu₃(BTC)₂), was fabricated and modified with sulfonate groups in two steps, leading to the construction of a novel sulfo-functionalized MOF. The prepared framework was utilized in the adsorption and separation of various organic dyes (MB, Er, FS, and MV). The adsorption process represented intriguing features due to the introduction of the SO₃H functional groups into the framework. Such an attractive feature has rarely been depicted in previous works. In addition to the substantially increased adsorption capacity of the modified framework compared with that of pristine MOF, a reverse and selective phenomenon was perceived in the cases of FS and MV. The sulfo-functionalized MOF could adsorb MV with high adsorption capacity but barely adsorbed FS, and the opposite condition was observed for pristine MOF. In addition, the prepared framework showed high selectivity in a mixed solution of dyes. On the other hand, the modified framework had no role in the first step of the adsorption and separation process and showed the same behavior as pristine MOF. Furthermore, the sulfonate functional groups could not be directly incorporated into HKUST. The experimental data followed the pseudo-second-order kinetics and the Langmuir isotherm model. Thermodynamic studies demonstrated an exothermic spontaneous mechanism for the dye adsorption process. The prepared adsorbents were capable of being recycled for four sequential cycles. Hereupon, this study presents a notably efficacious approach for the reverse performance of frameworks for the dye adsorption and separation process.

A novel sulfo-functionalized MOF was utilized as an efficient adsorbent for a reversal in the removal and selective separation of dyes from contaminated water.

A simple chemiluminescent aptasensor for the detection of α-fetoprotein based on iron-based metal organic frameworks

MIL-100 (Fe) was used to construct a chemiluminescent aptasensing platform based on the electrostatic adsorption of MIL-100 (Fe) and aptamers.

Fabrication of a high-adsorption N–TiO2/Bi2MoO6 composite photocatalyst with a hierarchical heterostructure for boosted weak-visible-light photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline

TiO₂ hierarchical heterostructure photocatalyst was successfully fabricated through the in situ growth of Bi₂MoO₆ nanosheets on rough N–TiO₂ nanorods with a bark-like surface. The structure–property relationship of this composite material were researched.