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 performance 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 synthesized 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.