Ferrocene-modified Uio-66-NH2 hybrids with g-C3N4 as enhanced photocatalysts for degradation of bisphenol A under visible light

Designing graphitic carbon nitride (CN) based heterostructured photocatalysts with high catalytic activity is highly desired for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation to degrade organic pollutants from water. Herein, a novel heterostructured composite (U-F@CN) consisting of ferrocene-modified Uio-66-NH2 (U-F) and CN was synthesized. The U-F@CN exhibited superior photocatalytic performance to degrade bisphenol A (BPA) in the presence of PMS under visible light. The experimental results indicated that BPA could be removed entirely by U-F@CN within 60 min under visible light irradiation. In addition, the outstanding photocatalytic activity could be maintained at high level in a wide pH range, appropriate temperature region and natural water condition. Benefiting from the good chemical stability, outstanding optical property and in-situ generation of interfacial heterojunction of U-F@CN, the interfacial transport of photogenerated charges could follow the Z-scheme mechanism, which can accelerate the charge separation and transport to yield abundant reactive active species (ROS) to efficiently active PMS and under visible light. This work provides a novel approach to design CN-based heterostructured photocatalysts with high stability and superior photocatalytic activity for environmental remediation.