Photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes using covalent triazine-based framework

Abstract Covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs) are emerged as heterogeneous photocatalysts for the treatment of polluted water. Herein, DA-CTF (donor-acceptor type covalent triazine-based framework) was synthesized by simple solvothermal process and was applied as metal-free catalyst for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene blue (MB). The structure of DA-CTF was characterized by SEM, FTIR, BET and TGA, and the photodegradation performances of dyes under visible light using the DA-CTF were evaluated. Results indicated that DA-CTF exhibited outstanding photodegradation of RhB and MB with good stability and reusability. 92.3 % of RhB and 99.2 % of MB (30 mg/L) can be degraded within 60 min and the calculated rate constants (k) were 0.04096 min−1 and and 0.04843 min−1, respectively. The proposed pathways for the degradation of the organic dyes were further discussed. The results highlight the potential DA-CTF as metal-free photocatalyst for the degradation of organic dyes in wastewater.