Constructing AlOOH-PVA/ZIF-67/AgCl/Ag composite membrane for the efficient photodegradation of organic pollutants under visible light irradiation.

This study effectively fabricated photocatalytic membranes (∼5 cm diameter) assembled by γ-AlOOH-PVA (BOP) decorated heterostructural ZIF-67/AgCl/Ag composites by combing seeded secondary growth and photoreduction methods. First, the ZIF-67-seeded BOP membrane was shaped in a petri dish, followed by submerging in a 2-methylimidazole ligand for secondary growth to obtain the BOP/ZIF-67 membrane. Next, AgCl/Ag was formulated on the membrane by dipping it in an AgNO solution, followed by a photoreduction under visible LED light, resulting in a BOP/ZIF/AgCl/Ag membrane. The characterization showed that the membrane contained heterostructures of ZIF-67/AgCl/Ag anchored onto the BOP membrane. The BOP/ZIF/AgCl/Ag composite membranes exhibited enhanced light absorption and appeared the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of Ag, giving it a bandgap energy of ∼2.10 eV. Photodegradation under visible LED light irradiation showed that the BOP/ZIF/AgCl/Ag membrane efficiently removed tetracycline (TC) and Rhodamine B dye (RhB) with corresponding degradation efficiency of ∼99% (90 min) and ∼95% (140 min), giving reaction rates of ∼0.046 min and 0.019 min, respectively. The photocatalytic mechanism and photodegradation pathways analyses provided insights into the degradations of organic pollutants. Significantly, the designed BOP/ZIF/AgCl/Ag membrane quickly recovered from the solution and was of good durability. The study provided an effective strategy for constructing heterostructural ZIF-67/AgCl/Ag composite membranes, which are efficient and eco-friendly photocatalyst materials.