Fabrication of novel three-dimensional carbon aerogel of Ag@ZIF/CCA for highly enhanced visible-light photocatalytic performance

Abstract

Herein, ZIF-8 was modified by Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) to prepare an Ag@ZIF-8 which was loaded on the sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC-Na) aerogel. After freeze-dried and carbonization by a tube furnace, the mixed hydrogel converted into a carbon aerogel named Ag@ZIF/CCA which was utilized as a catalyst to photodegrade the dye wastewater. Then, SEM, HRTEM, XRD, BET, XPS, UV–vis DRS, ESR, PL, EIS, LC-MS, and ICP-OES were used to characterize the hybrid carbon aerogels. From those characterization, the Ag1@ZIF3/CCA which has multiple pores, narrow energy gap, the lowest rate of recombination of electron-hole, and the most successful separation of the photogenerated electron hole (e-/h+) pair. In conclusion, when the initial concentration of 200 mg∙L−1 malachite green (MG) with the presence of Ag1@ZIF3/CCA, the removal of MG achieved 93%. In this paper, we found that because of the surface plasmonic resonance (SPR) and the generation of Schottky barrier between Ag and ZnO, the photocatalytic performance and dye removal efficiency could be enhanced significantly. The synthesized methods of the material provided an innovative way to prepare a sustainable, eco-friendly, and highly photocatalytic material.