MOF-derived Co/ZnO@silicalite-1 photocatalyst with high photocatalytic activity

Metal doped ZnO supported on porous materials have unique and highly attractive properties and have drawn worldwide attention. Herein, we explored the synthesis of Co/ZIF-8@silicalite-1 catalysts containing different amounts of Co by using metal organic frameworks as precursors and silicalite-1 as support. Then Co/ZIF-8@silicalite-1 catalysts were calcined at 550 degrees C to prepare the Co/ZnO@silicalite-1 photocatalysts. All samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, FT-IR and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra. The results show that the doping Co can increase the particle size of Co/ZIF-8 and decrease the content of Zn in Co/ZIF-8@silicalite-1. When ZnO@silicalite-1 is doped with Co from 0% to 20%, its band gap absorption is extended from 380 to 480 nm and a new band gap absorption at about 720 nm appears. The photocatalystic properties were investigated by degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) aqueous solution under UV light. In the series of Co/ZnO@silicalite-1 photocatalysts, 5Co/ZnO@silicalite-1 shows the highest photocatalytic efficiency.