Constructing BiOCl/ZnO heterojunction from Bi-MOF for efficient photocatalytic degradation performance

[Display omitted] •BiOCl/ZnO heterojunction were prepared from Bi-MOF precursors.•BiOCl/ZnO heterojunction displayed enhanced photocatalytic activity.••OH, h+, and •O2– active species play the vital role in photodegradation reaction. Herein, we prepared a hierarchical BiOCl/ZnO heterojunction for the first time from Bi-MOF precursors (CAU-17) via air annealling route. The obtained BiOCl/ZnO samples are characterized by XRD, SEM, and UV–Vis and demonstrates excellent photocatalytic performance toward remove methyl blue and the degradation reached 92% in 120 min with Xenon lamp irradiation. The heterojunction also shows good pH adaptability, good reusability, and structural stability. Such well performance can be contributed to the formation of heterojunction, which can improve the separation of photogenerated electron - hole pairs. Furthermore, the photocatalytic reaction process has also been studied in detail, •OH, h+, and •O2– active species play the vital role in photodegradation reaction.