In‐situ synthesis of reduced graphene oxide templated MIL‐53(Fe) nanorods for photo‐catalytic degradation of organic dyes under sunlight

Abstract

Due to outstanding chemical and physical characteristics, metal‐organic‐frameworks (MOFs) are frequently apprenticed for environmental clean‐up. Within this article, we present a thorough and straightforward hydrothermal method towards the production of reduced graphene oxide templated MIL‐53(Fe) hybrids RGO@MIL‐53(Fe). The structural characteristics of created hybrids were identified by using BET, FESEM, powder X‐ray diffraction, and FTIR techniques. Methylene blue (MB) dye (a model water pollutant) was used to evaluate H2O2‐assisted photo‐catalytic efficiency of RGO@MIL‐53(Fe). In contrast to pristine MIL‐53(Fe)‐H2O2, the RGO@MIL‐53(Fe)‐H2O2 system demonstrated improved photodegradation efficiency (>99%) for the elimination of MB over 60 minutes of solar irradiation. Furthermore, another dye rhodamine B (RhB) was almost 100% degraded in similar conditions within 80 minutes of sunlight. The RGO@MIL‐53(Fe) hetero‐structure, which promotes quick electron transport and reduces the rate at which photo‐induced charge carriers recombine, is credited as the main cause of the improvement in photo‐catalytic efficiency.