Self-assembled synthesis of recyclable g-C3N4/NH2-MIL-53(Fe) aerogel for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants

A porous g-C3N4/NH2-MIL-53(Fe) (CNMIL) aerogel with excellent recyclability and photocatalytic perfor-mance was successfully synthesized via facile electrostatic self-assembly. The coupling of NH2-MIL-53(Fe) enhanced the visible-light absorption regions of g-C3N4 and increases its specific surface areas. The syn-thesized aerogel possessed outstanding recyclability and could be easily separated from the aqueous phase. In addition, the CNMIL aerogel exhibited superior degradation efficiencies for rhodamine B (RhB) and norfloxacin (NFL) under visible-light irradiation, which were 2.6 and 1.3 times higher than pure g-C3N4, respectively. The increased photocatalytic performance of the CNMIL aerogel could be attributed to the synergistic electron transfer interface between g-C3N4 and NH2-MIL-53(Fe), which achieved effective electron transfer, thus enhancing the photocatalytic activity. The study achieved the modulation of the g-C3N4 by Fe-based MOF, which suggested the potential of metal-free polymer and metal-organic framework composites for efficient photocatalysis.(c) 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.