Enhanced photocatalytic degradation activity of ZIF-8 doped with Ag2WO4 photocatalyst

Methylene blue (MB) is a carcinogenic pollutant that is widely known for its dangerous effects on humans and marine life. Herein, Ag2WO4-supported ZIF-8 hybrid photocatalyst has been constructed simple using a hydrothermal method. The constructed photocatalysts were described by XRD, FESEM, EDX, UV–visible DRS, TEM, and BET surface area methods. The Ag2WO4/ZIF-8 photocatalyst established high photocatalytic degradation performance under visible light toward MB dye, giving 98.3 % photodegradation of 30 mg/l MB and 0.1 g/l photocatalyst dosage in 120 min of irradiation. Also, the photostability was excellent after five rounds. The boosted photodegradation performance was attributed to the synergic mechanism, which proposed the efficient charge separation efficiency and the presence of plasmon Ag in the Ag2WO4/ZIF-8 Z-scheme heterojunction. The trapping experiments illustrated that ·O2- was primary reactive radicals in the photodegradation process of MB. This research opens a new insight into assembling new heterojunction photocatalyst with improved behavior and stability, and presents a new understanding of Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR)-supported Z-scheme mechanism for environmental application.