Facile fabrication of BiOI/ZIF-67 Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst for visible-light-driven tetracycline degradation

In this paper, a novel Z-scheme BiOI/ZIF-67 photocatalyst (BOI/ZIF) was successfully prepared using an in-situ growth method, and its effectiveness in degrading tetracycline (TC) under visible light was assessed. Using a range of characterization techniques, the crystal structure, elemental composition, microstructure and optical characteristics of the composite catalyst were examined. Simultaneously, a 30 % mass ratio catalyst (BOI/ZIF-30) could remove 91 % of TC under visible light, which was 41 % and 28 % greater than the degradation rates of BiOI and ZIF-67, respectively. These results demonstrated that BOI/ZIF exhibited strong photocatalytic activity and excellent stability. The results of the radical quenching experiment and electron spin resonance revealed that h + and •O 2 − were the principal chemical substances responsible for TC degradation, corresponding with the suggested charge transfer mechanism of Z-scheme heterojunction. The Z-scheme heterojunction created between BiOI and ZIF-67 improved the effective separation of photogenerated carriers and boosted the efficiency of TC degradation. This study offers a promising method for designing photocatalytic systems to break down antimicrobial contaminants.