Enhanced visible-light-induced photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline using BiOI/MIL-125(Ti) composite photocatalyst

Herein, coupling semiconductor with metal-organic framework, a series of BiOI/MIL-125(Ti) composites have been prepared via one-step hydrothermal method. Morphology analyses reveal that the formation of heterostructure and the BiOI is uniformly covering on the surface of MIL-125(Ti). Under visible light illumination, the optimized 9 wt% BiOI/MIL-125(Ti) composite (BT-9) exhibits excellent photocatalytic activity for the degradation of tetracycline (TC) and the efficiency could reach 80%, which is much higher than that of bare BiOI and MIL-125(Ti). In particular, the BT-9 photocatalyst features superior stability and reusability in successive catalytic runs. Based on the comprehensive characterization studies, the enhancement of photocatalytic activity can be ascribed to the high specific surface area, promoting visible light absorption and outstanding efficiency of charge transfer of BiOI/MIL-125(Ti) composites.