Rational Design of Core–Shell MoS2@ZIF-67 Nanocomposites for Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation of Tetracycline
Maruthasalam Pannerselvam, V. Siva, A. Murugan, A. Shameem, Thirugnanam Bavani, Sahadevan Jhelai, S. Shanmugan, Imran Hussain Showkath Ali, Karthik Kannan
Abstract
Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) and their composites are attractive materials for photocatalytic applications due to their distinct characteristics. Core–shell ZIFs have lately emerged as a particularly appealing type of metal–organic frameworks, with improved light-absorption and charge-separation capabilities. In this study, hybrid nanocomposite materials comprising a zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) were fabricated with a core–shell structure. The prepared core–shell MoS2@ZIF-67 nanocomposites were studied using XRD, FTIR, XPS, and HR-TEM techniques. The crystalline nature and the presence of characteristic functional groups of the composites were analyzed using XRD and FTIR, respectively. The photocatalytic degradation of antibiotic tetracycline (TC) was measured using visible light irradiation. Compared to pristine MoS2 (12%) and ZIF-67 (34%), the most active MoS2@ZIF-67 nanocomposite (72%) exhibited a greater tetracycline degradation efficacy.