Rational design of amine-terminated terephthalate in bismuth metal-organic framework for boosting sunlight-catalytic removal of organic pollutants

Background

Bismuth-based metal-organic frameworks (Bi-MOFs) have garnered significant interest in energy and environment-related applications. Here, we report a Bi-MOFs synthesized by amino terephthalic acid (Bi-MOF (ATP)) and Bi-MOF (CAU-17), the developed Bi-MOF (ATP) shows exceptional photocatalytic efficiency in degrading both cationic and anionic pollutants, crystal violet (CV) fast green (FG) under solar light exposure.

Methods

The CAU-17 and Bi-MOF (ATP) were prepared by the solvothermal method. However, only the Bi-MOF (ATP) ability to absorb visible spectrum and degradation of pollutants can be attributed to several factors, including the diminished particle sizes, mitigated recombination of charge carriers, oxidation of nitrogen during photocatalytic reactions, and a favorable bandgap of positioning within the visible spectrum.

Significant findings

The Mott-Schottky plot and electron paramagnetic resonance analyses confirmed a Bi-MOF (ATP) generated free radicals (·O₂‾). The remarkable photocatalytic degradation of CV and FG can achieve 92 % and 95 %, respectively. Notably, the catalyst retains robust stability throughout reusability assessments, maintaining its degradation efficiency without compromising the integrity of its crystalline structure and morphology. This study sheds light on the promising potential of Bi-MOFs (ATP) as effective photocatalysts for pollution under solar light.