Z-scheme metal organic framework@graphene oxide composite photocatalysts with enhanced photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline

Domestic wastewater contains trace amounts of organic pollutants that are difficult to remove, such as antibiotics and dyes, so effective degradation technologies need to be found. Therefore, we report the fabrication of a novel Z-scheme MIL-125(Ti)/GO photocatalyst by an in-situ growing method. The photodegradation experiment showed that MIL-125(Ti)/GO degraded TC by 81.1% at 5% GO addition, which is 1.7 and 3.8 times higher than MIL-125(Ti) and GO, respectively. The degradation rate reached 0.0201 min−1, 3.3 times and 8.1 times higher than MIL-125 (Ti) and GO, respectively. The study shows that GO and MIL-125(Ti), as electron donors and electron acceptors, respectively, form a Z-scheme heterojunction structure, which effectively improves the photocatalytic performance of MIL-125(Ti). MIL-125(Ti)/GO has excellent structural stability and reusable availability, and the main reactive radicals are ·O−2 and h+. This study provides new insights into the design and fabrication of MIL-125 (Ti) derivatives as photodegrading organic pollutants.