Metal-organic framework (ZIF-8)/inorganic nanofiber (Fe2O3) nanocomposite: Green synthesis and photocatalytic degradation using LED irradiation

Abstract Nanofibers and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been widely used in water and wastewater treatment. In the present work, α–Fe2O3 nanofiber was synthesized and developed by the synthesis of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) on it. The α–Fe2O3 nanofiber was successfully fabricated by one-step electrospinning of PVA followed by a hydrothermal reaction on PVA nanofiber and calcination of the electrospun PVA-Fe3O4 fiber. ZIF-8/Fe2O3 composite nanofibers (ZFCN) with different amounts of Fe2O3 nanofiber (5, 10 and 20% wt denoted as ZFCN-5, ZFCN-10 and ZFCN-20) were made by green method at room temperature and atmospheric pressure and characterized using SEM, AFM, Zeta potential, FTIR, and XRD. The photocatalytic activity of these composites was investigated for degrading Reactive Red 198 (RR198). According to the results, ZFCN-20 showed the highest dye decolorization (94%). The kinetics of RR198 degradation was zero-order for both ZIF-8 and Fe2O3 nanofiber and first-order for decolorization by ZIF-8/Fe2O3 composite nanofiber.