Boosting visible light photocatalytic activity via impregnation-induced RhB-sensitized MIL-125(Ti)

Abstract The visible light driven pollutant degradation by photocatalysis is one of the most effective and environmentally friendly strategies, which urgently requires the highly efficient catalysis. In this study, the RhB-sensitized MIL-125(Ti) photocatalyst (RhB/MIL-125) was obtained by post-impregnation strategy in dark, owing to its remarkable adsorption and structure properties of MIL-125(Ti). The nanostructure, morphology and optical properties of as-prepared RhB/MIL-125 catalyst were characterized by various physicochemical methods in detail. It was found that the RhB was successfully incorporated into the MIL-125(Ti) matrix. Excitingly, the obtained RhB-sensitized MIL-125(Ti) showed a boosted photocatalytic performance with the removal rate of MO beyond 90% in 60 min under visible light (λ > 420 nm) and exhibited the well stability during recycle tests. The hole (h + ) and superoxide free radical ( O 2 − ) were the key reactive species during the photodegradation process and the possible photocatalytic mechanism of RhB/MIL-125 for MO degradation was proposed. Our new photocatalyst can inspire the in-depth understanding in the visible light driven process and accelerate the nanoporous materials for real-life energy and environmental applications.