MOF-derived Co/ZnO@silicalite-1 photocatalyst with high photocatalytic activity

Abstract

Metal doped ZnO supported on porous materials have unique and highly attractive properties and have drawn worldwide attention. Herein, we explored the synthesis of Co/ZIF-8@silicalite-1 catalysts containing different amounts of Co by using metal organic frameworks as precursors and silicalite-1 as support. Then Co/ZIF-8@silicalite-1 catalysts were calcined at 550 °C to prepare the Co/ZnO@silicalite-1 photocatalysts. All samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, FT-IR and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra. The results show that the doping Co can increase the particle size of Co/ZIF-8 and decrease the content of Zn in Co/ZIF-8@silicalite-1. When ZnO@silicalite-1 is doped with Co from 0% to 20%, its band gap absorption is extended from 380 to 480 nm and a new band gap absorption at about 720 nm appears. The photocatalystic properties were investigated by degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) aqueous solution under UV light. In the series of Co/ZnO@silicalite-1 photocatalysts, 5Co/ZnO@silicalite-1 shows the highest photocatalytic efficiency.