Accelerating interfacial charge transfer and photocatalytic activity of a Z-scheme Zn-MOF/GO heterojunction towards the removal of Cr(VI) and methylene blue.

The construction of Z-scheme heterojunctions is still a challenge. Structure tailoring and energy band engineering of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) permit the rational design and fabrication of Z-scheme MOF/graphene oxide (GO) heterojunctions to enhance photocatalytic performance. Herein, a novel Z-scheme Zn-MOF/GO heterojunction as an environmentally friendly, reusable, and highly efficient visible-light-induced photocatalyst for methylene blue (Mb) decoloration and/or Cr(VI) reduction was synthesized. The Zn-MOF/GO composite displayed much higher photodegradation performance than pure Zn-MOF. Besides, the photocatalytic performance of composites is related to the amounts of GO, and Zn-MOF/GO(15%) showed the best activity. Specifically, Zn-MOF/GO(15%) presented 92.6% Mb decoloration, 98.8% Cr(VI) reduction, and the simultaneous removal of Mb (87.9%) and Cr(VI) (99.8%) with good stability. The improved performance for Zn-MOF/GO(15%) can be due to the formation of the Z-scheme heterojunction and built-in electric field, which can not only promote the photogenerated electron–hole separation and transfer, but also broaden the spectrum of light absorption. Furthermore, the improved plausible photodegradation mechanism of Zn-MOF/GO(15%) was provided, and e−, h+ and ·OH were the primary reactive species during the photodegradation reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]