Self-templated synthesis of core-shell Fe3O4@ZnO@ZIF-8 as an efficient visible-light-driven photocatalyst

Compared to UV-driven catalysts, the utilization of sunlight to design efficient visible light catalysts remains much less explored. Herein, we prepared Fe3O4@ZnO@ZIF-8 three-component core-shell nanoparticles and investigate their corresponding photocatalytic degradation by using Rhodamine B (RhB) as a model contaminant under visible light. It is found that Fe3O4@ZnO@ZIF-8 demonstrates a significant enhancement in the photo-catalytic degradation efficiency (98% of RhB was degraded within 100 min) with a reaction rate constant of 0.0292 min-1. These findings mark the significance of precise tailoring of core-shell Fe3O4@ZnO@ZIF-8 for achieving the desired degradation efficiency of organic pollutants under visible light.