Hierarchically Structured NH2‐MIL‐125/TiO2/Cellulose Composite Membranes With Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance

Abstract A cellulose‐based photocatalytic membrane was fabricated by in situ growth of the NH 2 ‐MIL‐125 nanoparticles onto the surfaces of the ultrathin titania (TiO 2 ) gel layers pre‐coated cellulose nanofibres of natural cellulose substance (commercial laboratory filter paper). The NH 2 ‐MIL‐125 nanoparticles were grown on the surface of the titania gel coated cellulose nanofibres via a one‐step solvothermal method. The resultant composite membranes maintained the initial hierarchical network structures of the bulk cellulose substance, consisting titania gel layer coated cellulose nanofibres with NH 2 ‐MIL‐125 nanoparticles anchored on the surfaces. Owing to the hierarchical porous structure of the cellulose substrates as well as the effective heterostructure formation between the NH 2 ‐MIL‐125 particles and the TiO 2 layers, the composites showed enhanced photocatalytic performances. The NH 2 ‐MIL‐125/TiO 2 /cellulose composite composed of 15.82 wt% NH 2 ‐MIL‐125 content with nanoparticles sizes of 100–200 nm showed an apparent rate constant of 0.032 min −1 in photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB), which was higher than those of the NH 2 ‐MIL‐125/cellulose composite and the TiO 2 /cellulose composite. It was demonstrated that pre‐coating of the cellulose nanofibres with ultrathin titania gel layers was essential for the growth of the NH 2 ‐MIL‐125 nanoparticles thereon.