Synthesis of porous TiO2/ZrO2 photocatalyst derived from zirconium metal organic framework for degradation of organic pollutants under visible light irradiation

Zirconium based metal-organic frameworks (Zr-MOFs) are promising candidates for photocatalytic wastewater treatment due to their excellent properties such as high chemical and thermal stability and high photodegradation ability. Herein, we report a novel porous TiO2/ZrO2 photocatalyst derived from UiO-66 and Titania hybrids. UiO-66 nanoparticles was synthesized through solvothermal method and utilized as catalyst support to grow TiO2 particles on its surface. The prepared Titania/MOF nanocomposite was calcined to obtain porous TiO2/ZrO2 photocatalyst for degradation of organic pollutants from colored wastewater under LED visible light. The prepared materials were fully characterized with FTIR, XRD, SEM/EDS, TEM, BET, UV-DRS and ICP analysis. The results showed that the developed TiO2/ZrO2 enhanced photodegradation ability of Rhodamin B (RhB) in comparison with the mixture of prior UiO-66 and TiO2 and was found to affect the photocatalytic activity by increasing the adsorption of photons in visible region and enhanced the transfer and separation of produced charge. The decolorization kinetics followed first-order kinetic model. In addition, after four times recycling, the regenerated nanocomposite still showed high stability and photodegradation ability (90%).