Visible light-enhanced thermal decomposition performance of ammonium perchlorate with a metal–organic framework-derived Ag-embedded porous ZnO nanocomposite

In this study, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are used as a host for Ag species and the template of ZnO to fabricate Ag-embedded porous ZnO nanocomposites (Ag–ZnO NCs) with rich and stable interfaces, which is proven to be a perfect platform for constructing hybrid materials. Remarkably, Ag–ZnO NCs exhibit high catalytic activity for the thermocatalytic decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP) under the assistance of ultraviolet and visible light irradiation. The highly enhanced catalytic activity of Ag–ZnO NCs originates from the synergistic effects of thermal-driven thermocatalysis and solar light-driven photocatalysis. Especially, under the irradiation of visible light, the plasmon-induced resonance energy transfer (PRET) between the plasmonic metal Ag and the neighboring semiconductor ZnO enhances the charge carrier generation efficiency and suppresses the bulk recombination in the semiconductor, which are responsible for its outstanding catalytic performance.