Facile synthesis of MIL-100(Fe)-supported zinc oxide quantum dots (ZnO/MIL-100(Fe)) for enhanced Malachite green removal

Abstract

Abstract In the present study, a synthesis route for ZnO/MIL-100(Fe) composites is proposed through a one-pot synthesis at room temperature with 25% ZnO QDs, where ZnO QDs were prepared in a soft chemical route by aging process. The X-Ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) results indicated that there is a suitability between MIL-100(Fe) and ZnO/MIL-100(Fe). Scanning electron microscope (SEM) image for the composite undergoing a change due to the presence of ZnO QDs. The materials were then utilized as adsorbents and photocatalysts for the removal of Malachite Green (MG) from aqueous solutions. As a result, the adsorption and photocatalytic process of ZnO/MIL-100(Fe) and MIL-100(Fe) fitted well with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. More specifically, ZnO/MIL-100(Fe) showed better photocatalytic activity than MIL-100(Fe) towards the degradation of these dyes under irradiation with 92% removal. This indicates that the increased photocatalytic performance of ZnO/MIL-100(Fe) is a benefit of the synergistic effect between the semiconductor ZnO QDs and MIL-100(Fe).