Design and in situ synthesis of ZnInS@ZIF-8-nanofilms multifunctional nanocomposite: A case application for simultaneous fluorescent sensing and enhanced photocatalytic performance toward antibiotic

Recently emerged two-dimensional (2D) conductive metal-organic framework (c-MOF) thin films have brought new potential applications for various fields. This study presents a novel concept of in-situ self-assembled multifunctional semiconductor@2D-c-MOF platform (ZnInS nanosheet@ZIF-8 nanofilms, ZnInS NS@ZIF-8 NFs) for simultaneous fluorescent detection and photocatalysis. Synthesized by a facile method and subsequent in-situ self-template strategy, the obtained ZnInS NS@ZIF-8 NFs exhibits much higher photocatalytic efficiency in comparison with pristine ZnInS nanosheets and allows real-time, label-free, and sensitive fluorescent detection. In such process, the 2D ZnInS nanosheets not only serve as the semiconductor photocatalyst with large specific surface areas, but also act as self-sacrificial template to offer Zn2+ ions for the in-situ oriented growth of ZIF-8 nanofilms to achieve preconcentration and fluorescent detection for the targets. More importantly, ZIF-8 nanofilms could induce photogenerated electron transport of ZnInS. As a proof of the concept, the successful sensing and photocatalytic degradation for tetracycline have been achieved. The limit of detection is 8.6 nM in water and the photocatalytic degradation efficiency reaches 73% within 5 min under visible light, which are better than most of the previous reports. Our work could open up a new perspective for advanced photocatalyst development in the future.

Automated summary

The study introduces a novel in-situ self-assembled multifunctional semiconductor@2D-c-MOF platform for simultaneous fluorescent detection and photocatalysis, achieving high efficiency and sensitive detection. The platform could potentially open up a new perspective for advanced photocatalyst development in the future.