The composite of UiO-66 derived ZrO2 and g-C3N4 for oxidative removal of formaldehyde at the room temperature

Formaldehyde (HCHO) is a common indoor organic pollutant, which causes serious damage to people's health. The removal of formaldehyde is a difficult problem that human beings have to face in healthy life. MOF derivatives are a research hotspot in the field of catalysis in recent years. In this paper, a UiO-66 derived ZrO2 was selected for the study of formaldehyde degradation. Combining ZrO2 and g-C3N4 through multiple calcinations, a heterostructure was successfully constructed, which enabled the catalyst to absorb visible light. Then supported Ag by photoreduction can further improve the dispersibility and visible light absorption ability of the catalyst. When the addition amount of ZrO2 is 300 mg, Ag@g-C3N4/ZrO2-300 degrades 81.3 % of formaldehyde after 3 h of illumination and exhibits excellent stability. This work provides a certain reference value for the application of MOF and its derivatives in the field of formaldehyde degradation. [Display omitted] •A composite material with nanoparticle/flake structure was prepared by multiple calcinations.•The addition of flaky g-C3N4 improves the dispersibility of UiO-66 derived metal oxides.•The degradation rate of Ag@g-C3N4/ZrO2-300 to 7 ppm HCHO under 3 h of light is 81.3 %.•Under the action of Ag surface plasmon resonance, the light absorption ability of the catalyst is improved.