Convenient interface engineering of hierarchical flower spherical Bi-MOF/Bi₂WO₆ heterostructures for high-performance visible light photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride

In this work, three-dimensional Bi-MOF/Bi₂WO₆ microspheres were successfully prepared using Bi₂WO₆ microspheres as a template with the help of organometallic skeleton (MOF), which has diverse pore structures, abundant active sites, and good redox activity. Tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) degradation was used to gauge the composites performed as photocatalysts under simulating sunlight irradiation. The results show that the Bi-MOF/Bi₂WO₆ composite could remove most of TC within 60 min with a degradation rate higher than 89.2% and a reaction rate constant k as high as 0.0373 min⁻¹, which is 2.0 times higher than that of pure Bi₂WO₆. The enhanced light absorption intensity in the UV area, as well as the increased electron/hole separation and compounding efficiency were considered as the reasons for the highly improved photocatalytic performance of the composites. By examining potential electron transport routes, the formation of heterojunction was confirmed. A series of Bi-MOF/Bi₂WO₆ heterostructures were prepared using Bi-MOF as a hard template to create a close contact heterojunction interface. This study provides a strategy for the design and preparation of highly reactive Bi₂WO₆-based heterojunction materials that can effectively address the challenges of environmental remediation.