Donor–acceptor-modified UiO-67-type metal–organic frameworks for the enhanced photodegradation of tetracycline under visible light

Abstract

Visible-light-driven photodegradation is an effective method for the elimination of organic water pollutants. In this work, through linker engineering, we designed a series of UiO-67-type metal–organic frameworks (termed as UiO-67-NA, UiO-67-BT, and UiO-67-NB) with different electron donors and acceptors. Photoelectric characterization revealed that UiO-67-NB fabricated from the donor–acceptor-conjugated photosensitizer 7-(4-carboxynaphthalen-1-yl)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole-4-carboxylic acid (H₂NB) featured the best electron–hole separation and transfer efficiency to generate abundant active reaction species. Photocatalytic experiments showed that UiO-67-NB could be exploited as a high-performance heterogeneous catalyst for the photodegradation of tetracycline under visible-light irradiation. This work provides a feasible platform to improve the utilization of solar energy in water pollutant removal.