Construction of NH2-MIL-125(Ti) nanoplates modified Bi2WO6 microspheres with boosted visible-light photocatalytic activity

Photoactive metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have proven to be a promising porous material in the field of catalysis. Controllable integration of these MOFs with inorganic semiconductor materials may endow new multifunctional hybrid materials with preferable photocatalytic properties. In this research, NH₂-MIL-125(Ti) nanoplates modified Bi₂WO₆ microspheres was prepared via a simple solvothermal method. The photocatalytic behaviors of the acquired catalysts was evaluated via the degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) under visible light. The experimental results showed that NH₂-MIL-125(Ti)/Bi₂WO₆ composites display higher photocatalytic activity than that of single Bi₂WO₆, and the ideal incorporation amount of NH₂-MIL-125(Ti) was around 5 wt%. The steady state fluorescence spectrum, transient photocurrents and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy verified that the introduction of NH₂-MIL-125(Ti) could accelerate the separation and transfer of photogenerated carriers and thus improve the photocatalytic activity of Bi₂WO₆. The photocatalytic mechanism was explored in detail. This work extends the knowledge of integrating MOFs with traditional photocatalysts to form new composite materials in the area of environmental purification.