Synthesis of BaTi0.85Zr0.15O3/ZIF-8 nanocomposite with the photocatalytic capability for degradation of tetracycline

In the current research, tetracycline photodegradation in aqueous media using BaTi0.85Zr0.15O3/ZIF-8 was synthesized by regular stirring under visible and ultraviolet light irradiation has been studied. BaTi0.85Zr0.15O3/ZIF-8 (25 wt.%) exhibited the best degradation efficiency of tetracycline (TC), followed by BaTi0.85Zr0.15O3/ZIF-8 (10,25,50 wt.%). The photocatalyst was characterized by TEM, SEM, EDX, FT-IR, XRD, BET, and TG- DTG methods. The effects of various parameters were studied on the tetracycline degradation by the proposed catalyst. The results indicated that the photocatalyst efficiency was considerably enhanced by incorporating the as-synthesized BaTi0.85Zr0.15O3 nanoparticles into the zeolitic imidazolate framework lattice visible light irradiation. The results were confirmed by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and photoluminescence, which showed that the photocatalyst band gap has transferred to the visible region and electron-hole recombining has been considerably decreased. The most suitable degradation extent was acquired at pH of 9, catalyst dose of 2 gL−1, TC concentration of 40 mg L−1, and irradiation time of 150 min. Between Z-scheme mechanisms and type II-heterojunction, the former played a major role in the photodegradation of TC.