SYNTHESIS OF Zn-Fe BIMETALLIC ZIFs AND STUDY OF THE PHOTOCATALYTIC NITROGEN FIXATION PERFORMANCE

In recent years, in-depth studies of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) materials have revealed that they have many unique properties and uses. Zn-Fe bimetallic ZIFs with bimetallic active centers can be designed and fabricated based on ZIF-8 with good water resistance. The structure, composition, and photoelectrochemical properties of the Zn-Fe bimetallic ZIFs were systematically analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), mapping, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS), and photoluminescence (PL). The bimetallic Zn-Fe ZIFs exhibited strong light absorption properties in the visible region at 390 nm, and the forbidden bandwidths were greatly reduced compared to those of ZIF-8. The photoelectrochemical properties of bimetallic Zn-Fe ZIFs and the separation and migration efficiency of photogenerated charge carriers can be optimized by adjusting the amount of metal introduced. The highest average photocatalytic rate of 1363.53 μmol L-1 g-1 h-1 was observed for bimetallic Zn-Fe ZIFs when Zn:Fe = 1:0.3. Finally, the photocatalytic nitrogen fixation performance of Zn-Fe bimetallic ZIFs is discussed.