Fabrication of ZIF-8@TiO2 micron composite via hydrothermal method with enhanced absorption and photocatalytic activities in tetracycline degradation

Abstract ZIF-8@TiO2 micron composite, one kind of new high-efficiency photocatalyst was prepared by hydrothermal method in this work. We compared the ability of ZIF-8, TiO2 nanospheres and ZIF-8@TiO2 to catalytically degrade tetracycline. The results of the characterization show that the TiO2 nanospheres grow uniformly on the surface of ZIF-8, and ZIF-8 and TiO2 are linked together by chemical bonds. The synergistic effect of ZIF-8 and TiO2 greatly enhances the catalytic ability of the composite photocatalyst. In ZIF-8@TiO2 micron composite, ZIF-8 provides a new way for photogenerated electron transfer as a charge separator, to reduce the charge recombination rate. Since the hybrid combines the advantages of ZIF-8 and TiO2, ZIF-8@TiO2 exhibits excellent ability to catalytically degrade tetracycline. The possible photocatalytic mechanism of the hybrid photocatalyst was also discussed.