Unveiling the synergistic effect of ionic liquid and metal-organic framework on the efficiency of BiVO4: BiVO4-MIL-100(Fe) as a visible light-induced photocatalyst for Basic Red 46 degradation.

Here, the effect of three different ionic liquids (IL) on the structural properties and photocatalytic activity of Bismuth Vanadate (BiVO 4) was investigated. In this regard, BiVO 4 hydrothermally synthesized in the presence of three different ionic liquids, including 2-hydroxyethyl ammonium formate, 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethyl sulfate [Emim][EtSO 4 ], and 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium methanesulfonate, [C 4 mim][MeSO 3 ]. Additionally, the effect of calcination temperature was also studied by calcining hydrothermally synthesized BiVO 4 at 600 °C, and all results were compared to a pure sample containing no IL. According to the characterization results, monoclinic scheelite-phase BiVO 4 was only obtained in the presence of [Emim][EtSO 4 ] and a higher temperature of 600 °C. To improve photocatalytic activity, the hybrid structure of IL-assisted BiVO 4 with MIL-100 (Fe) was constructed by the in-situ growing of MIL-100(Fe) on the surface of BiVO4 and employed as a photocatalyst for the degradation of Basic Red 46. The IL-BiVO 4 -MIL-100(Fe) hybrid material exhibited higher photocatalytic activity than bare BiVO 4 , degrading more than 88% of Basic Red 46 in 120 min. To identify the photodegradation compounds and to determine the environmental fate of Basic Red 46, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was employed, and the possible degradation mechanism was discussed and proposed. [Display omitted] • Engineering desirable properties of BiVO4 using ionic liquids as co-solvents. • Low-temperature IL-assisted synthesis of monoclinic BiVO4 photocatalyst. • Unveiling the synergistic impact of ILs and MOF on photocatalytic performance. • Determining reaction pathways and byproducts in Basic Red 46 photodegradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]