The preparation and photocatalytic activities of Z-scheme pillared composites composed of Zr-EDTA and 2D titanate nanosheets

To fabricate mesoporous photocatalysts with delaminated structures, the exfoliated and layered titanate in an aqueous solution was reassembled in the presence of a Zr-EDTA complex suspension by using an exfoliation-restacking route. Powder X-ray diffraction and HR-TEM clearly revealed that the Zr-EDTA complexes were intercalated into the interlayer of titanate sheets, and the present nanocomposite possessed an enhanced specific surface area (~ 193 m2 g−1) with a diameter of 4.32 nm. The XPS and UV–Vis spectra showed interaction between the titanate nanosheets and the guest complex in the pillared system, where in the guest accepted and transported photo-generated carriers, and titanate nanosheets provided active reactive sites. The result nanohybrids exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity in the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible-light irradiation, as attributed to the expansion of the surface area, the narrowing of the band-gap, and an ohmic contact of Z-scheme between the guest and the host.