ZnO/ZIF-8 nanocomposite for orange G dye degradation: synthesis, characterization, photocatalytic activity, and mechanism

Textile dyes are one of the dominant reasons for water pollution. Among these dyes, Orange G is toxic, carcinogenic, and non-biodegradable and can cause a severe threat to humans and marine life. Therefore, in this present work, a novel photocatalyst was synthesized, and systematic degradation of Orange G dye was investigated. The novel ZnO/ZIF-8 nanocomposite has been successfully synthesized via a two-step method, thermal decomposition for ZnO and wet-chemical method for ZnO/ZIF-8 nanocomposite. The band gap of the nanocomposite was calculated using a KM plot and found to be 3.5 eV. The surface charge of the materials was examined using zeta potential measurement, which was found to be suitable for dye degradation. The recombination time of the materials was investigated using Time-Resolved Photoluminescence (TRPL) study, and it was found that nanocomposite has a lower recombination rate than pristine materials. The degradation efficiency of materials towards Orange G dye was calculated to be similar to 95% after 120 min illumination. The photocatalysis mechanism was proposed on the basis of Mott-Schottky measurements, which were supported by the scavenger test. Furthermore, to evaluate the reusability of the nanocomposite, a photocatalytic experiment was conducted several times. The ZnO/ZIF-8 nanocomposite could be used for the degradation of textile dye wastewater.