UiO-66(Zr) coupled with Bi(2)MoO(6) as photocatalyst for visible-light promoted dye degradation

This study provides the first attempt to combine UiO-66(Zr) with Bi₂MoO₆ for the preparation of composite via electrostatic interaction induced self-assembly process. Synthesized products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscope (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analyse and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS). The photocatalytic activities of as-obtained Bi₂MoO₆/UiO-66(Zr) composites were assessed by degradation of Rhodamine B (Rh B) under the visible-light irradiation. Comparing to the pristine materials, the developed Bi₂MoO₆/UiO-66(Zr) composite with Bi:Zr molar ratio 2:1, labelled as BMUO-2, showed the best photocatalytic activity. It was supposed that the participation of Bi₂MoO₆ increased the use of solar energy and the existence of UiO-66(Zr) restrained the recombination rate of photo-generated electron-hole pairs. Moreover, Bi₂MoO₆/UiO-66(Zr) composite showed excellent stability and recyclability during cycling experiment. The mechanism and plausible pathway of Rh B degradation were also discussed in this paper.