Enhanced photocatalytic degradation of diclofenac by UiO-66/MgAl-LDH: excellent performances and mechanisms

• Published in: Environmental science. Nano 2024-08, Vol.11 (8), p.3286-3293
• Main Authors: Wang, Jia-Hang, Kong, Fanying, Liu, Bing-Feng, Zhuo, Sheng-Nan, Ren, Nan-Qi, Ren, Hong-Yu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aquatic environment; Diclofenac; Dominant species; Energy utilization; Environmental degradation; Heavy metals; Leaching; Metal ions; Mineralization; Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; Photocatalysis; Photodegradation; Pollution; Solar energy; Substrates; Water purification; Zirconium
• ISSN: 2051-8153; 2051-8161
• DOI: 10.1039/d4en00266k

The expeditious augmentation of industry and economics has brought about an increase in the pollution of the aquatic environment, and as a result, there is a prerequisite to remit a pollution status of the process when exploiting new materials. The construction of functional Zr-MOF (UiO-66) materials with layered MgAl-LDH in a hydrothermal synthesis strategy named UL 3 (wt%, UiO-66 : MgAl-LDH = 1 : 3) for the highly efficient photodegradation of diclofenac (DCF) was investigated in the study reported herein. The UL 3 /DCF photodegradation system under premium reaction conditions of 10 mg L −1 of DCF, 0.1 g L −1 of UL 3 and 25 °C reached 100% mineralization of DCF within 5 min at pH 4. Quench testing showed that dominant species in the photocatalysis was h + , which played synergetic roles during the degradation of DCF. Low metal ion leaching (under 0.25 mg L −1 ) and co-existing substrates certified the high stability of UL 3 and its good resistance to co-existing substances. This study identifies a viable photocatalyst system for water purification and solar energy utilization. Light-activated UL 3 generates active species (h + ) to attack DCF in a water environment, realizing efficient clean water purification.