Preparation of a zinc-based metal–organic framework (MOF-5)/BiOBr heterojunction for photodegradation of Rhodamine B

In this study, the MOF-5/BiOBr photocatalyst with microsphere structure was synthesized by hydrothermal method for the first time. The crystal structure, morphology, photoelectric performance and photocatalytic activity of the samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS and electrochemistry. The results show that the synthesized MOF-5/BiOBr photocatalyst exhibits better photocatalytic performance than pure MOF-5 and BiOBr under simulated sunlight. The efficiency of Rhodamine B (RhB) removal based MOF-5/BiOBr composite (MOF-5 with mass ratio of MOF-5/BiOBr = 20 wt% of) reached 99.7%. The possible photocatalytic mechanism is discussed through the capture experiment of active species. The enhanced photocatalytic performance of the MOF-5/BiOBr composite may be related to the interaction between BiOBr and MOF-5 and the type II charge transfer path. The catalyst has simple preparation process, low cost, high activity under natural light, and high efficiency, and is expected to play a role in the treatment of environmental wastewater. This work provides a new insight for designing MOF-5 based photocatalyst.