Construction of LZU1@WO heterojunction photocatalysts: enhanced photocatalytic performance and mechanism insight

Due to the unique structure and performance of COFs, a new well-designed nano-LZU1@WO 3 composite photocatalyst was successfully synthesized through a simple hydrothermal method. The nano-LZU1@WO 3 composite material shows higher photocatalytic activity than pure WO 3 and LZU1 in the degradation of BBR. The best LZU1 0.44 @WO 3 showed the highest catalytic activity, removing 97.7% of BBR within 90 minutes and 97.4% MB in 110 minutes. The improved photocatalytic activity of the composite material is mainly attributed to the effective photo-generated charge separation and Z-type heterojunction transfer through the coupling between WO 3 and LZU1. The composite photocatalyst showed obvious good stability and recyclability after 4 cycles. Finally, based on the active radical capture experiment and ESR, a possible Z-scheme electron transfer mechanism is proposed, which can explain the improved photocatalytic performance of the photocatalytic system. Moreover, the best hydrogen evolution for LZU1 0.5 @WO 3 reached 6133.2 μmol h −1 g −1 , which is 386 times and 1.6 times that of pure WO 3 and pure LZU1, respectively. We hope this work will provide a timely reference for the advancement of COF-based heterojunctions towards environmental pollutants and useful insights for future energy technologies beyond water electrolysis. Our well-designed nano-WO 3 @LZU1 composite photocatalysts were fully characterized. Under simulated sunlight, the hybrid materials showed much higher photocatalytic activity for BBR degradation and MB degradation than WO 3 or LZU1, and improved hydrogen production capacity.