Assembling Ultrafine SnO<sub>2</sub> Nanoparticles on MIL-101(Cr) Octahedrons for Efficient Fuel Photocatalytic Denitrification

oleh: Ruowen Liang, Shihui Wang, Yi Lu, Guiyang Yan, Zhoujun He, Yuzhou Xia, Zhiyu Liang, Ling Wu

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2021-12-01

Deskripsi

Effectively reducing the concentration of nitrogen-containing compounds (NCCs) remains a significant but challenging task in environmental restoration. In this work, a novel step-scheme (S-scheme) SnO<sub>2</sub>@MCr heterojunction was successfully fabricated via a facile hydrothermal method. At this heterojunction, MIL-101(Cr) octahedrons are decorated with highly dispersed SnO<sub>2</sub> quantum dots (QDs, approximate size 3 nm). The QDs are evenly wrapped around the MIL-101(Cr), forming an intriguing zero-dimensional/three-dimensional (0D/3D) S-scheme heterostructure. Under simulated sunlight irradiation (280 nm < <i>λ</i> < 980 nm), SnO<sub>2</sub>@MCr demonstrated superior photoactivity toward the denitrification of pyridine, a typical NCC. The adsorption capacity and adsorption site of SnO2@MCr were also investigated. Tests using 20%SnO<sub>2</sub>@MCr exhibited much higher activity than that of pure SnO<sub>2</sub> and MIL-101(Cr); the reduction ratio of Cr(VI) is rapidly increased to 95% after sunlight irradiation for 4 h. The improvement in the photocatalytic activity is attributed to (i) the high dispersion of SnO<sub>2</sub> QDs, (ii) the binding of the rich adsorption sites with pyridine molecules, and (iii) the formation of the S-scheme heterojunction between SnO<sub>2</sub> and MIL-101(Cr). Finally, the photocatalytic mechanism of pyridine was elucidated, and the possible intermediate products and degradation pathways were discussed.