Assembling Ag@CuO/UiO-66-NH2 nanocomposites for efficient photocatalytic degradation of xylene

Achieving efficient and stable photocatalytic degradation of xylene hinges on the advancement of photocatalytic materials with outstanding visible light activity. This low-carbon strategy serves as a promising solution to combat air pollution effectively. In this study, we synthesized a Z-scheme heterojunction Ag@CuO/UiO-66-NH 2 nanocomposite by hydrothermal method to investigate its photodegradation properties for xylene gas under visible light conditions. XRD, XPS, SEM, FTIR, and UV–vis analyses were employed to confirm the presence of the Z-scheme heterojunction. The CuO/UiO-66-NH 2 (CuU-2) composite has high photocatalytic activity, which is 2.37 times that of the original UiO-66-NH 2 . The incorporation of Z-scheme heterojunction facilitates efficient charge transfer and separation, leading to a substantial enhancement in photocatalytic activity. The Ag@CuO/UiO-66-NH 2 (Ag-1@CuU) composite has the highest photocatalytic activity with a degradation efficiency of 84.12%, which is 3.36 times and 1.41 times that of UiO-66-NH 2 and CuO/UiO-66-NH 2 , respectively. The silver cocatalyst improves the absorption capacity of the composite material to visible light, makes the ultraviolet visible absorption edge redshift, and significantly improves the photocatalytic performance. This study introduces a novel approach for xylene gas degradation and offers a versatile strategy for designing and synthesizing metal–organic framework (MOF)-based photocatalysts with exceptional performance. Graphical Abstract