A Cu-based metal-organic frameworks-modified BiOCl heterojunction for enhanced photodegradation of rhodamine B

Environmental pollution caused by organic dyes has attracted increasing attention and prompts people to develop an effective treating method. Photocatalysis is regarded as one of the most promising treatment methods owing to low cost, flexibility, and high efficiency. Herein, we reported a copper-based metal–organic frameworks (Cu-MOF) modified BiOCl heterojunction Cu-MOF/BiOCl (CMB) to treat organic dye rhodamine B (RhB) under white light illumination. The optimal photodegradation efficiency is shown to be 97 % within 40 min, exhibiting a higher photocatalytic ability than individual BiOCl and Cu-MOF. The enhanced photocatalytic activity is attributed to the formation of CMB heterojunction improving the visible light utilization efficiency and promoting significantly the separation/transfer of carriers. This study highlights the importance of combining narrow band gap nanomaterial with wide counterpart in environmental remediation.