Nonthermal plasma induced NiS/UiO-66-NH2 for boosting visible-light photo-Fenton degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride

Heterojunctions constructed from metal organic frameworks (MOF) and metal sulfides are the potential candidates for solar-light driven photo-Fenton elimination of antibiotics from wastewater. To boost the solar-light induced photo-Fenton degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) over UiO-66, NH2-functionlized UiO-66 (UiO-66-NH2) was in-situ loaded with NiS (NiS/NU-66) via the nonthermal plasma sulfurization. For comparison to UiO-66-NH2, NiS/NU-66 had the lower adsorption capacity while the higher photo-Fenton activity for TCH removal. The removal efficiency of NiS/NU-66 climbed and then declined with an increase in NiS content, and the best removal efficiency (84.92 ± 2.55 %) for 110 mg L−1 TCH solution was obtained by c-NiS/NU-66 in 150 min. The sulfur and oxygen defects as well as the plentiful functional groups over NiS/NU-66 were favorable for providing the abundant vacant sites of TCH adsorption and photons capture. In addition, the rapid separation and migration of photo-generated e−/h+ pairs were achieved at the tight junction interface between NiS and UiO-66-NH2, enlarging the visible-light absorption capacity. In NiS/NU-66-assisted photocatalytic system, H2O2 was efficiently convert to •OH by e− and Ni2+/Ni3+ couples in solar light region. Hence, •OH, •O2− and h+ played the vital roles in this photo-Fenton system.