Rapid degradation of metamitron and highly complex mixture of pollutants using MIL-53(Al) integrated combustion synthesized TiO2

In the present work, we report a new approach for the synthesis of TiO₂-MIL-53(Al) (MIL: Matériaux de l′Institut Lavoisier) nano-composite. The integration of microwave synthesized metal organic framework (MOF) with combustion synthesized metal oxide is reported for the first time. The synthesized materials were characterized using an X-ray diffractometer, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscope, energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence, porosimeter, and UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscope. The diffraction pattern of the composite indicated the presence of TiO₂ as well as MIL-53(Al). Furthermore, the presence of anatase–rutile mixed phase of TiO₂ in the synthesized material was observed. The Fourier transform infrared spectrum was in support of XRD observations. A significantly low surface area and porosity of the composite material, compared to its parent components, was observed. The surface micrograph image of the composite depicted its nano-sheet type morphology. The energy dispersive X-ray analysis confirmed the presence of Ti, Al, C and O in the composite material. The composite material exhibited a narrow band-gap compared to the pristine MIL and TiO₂.As an application, the photocatalytic activity of synthesized material was determined by the degradation of metamitron. The application part is also one of the novelties of the present work. The effect of catalyst loading, initial concentration of metamitron and presence of inorganic ions on the photocatalytic degradation was investigated. The reusability of the composite material was evaluated. A plausible mechanism of photocatalytic degradation is proposed based on radical scavenging experiments. To the best of our knowledge, to date, there is no study on the application of TiO₂-MOF composite for the photocatalytic degradation of herbicide. Further, the synthesized material was successfully used for the photocatalytic degradation of a complex mixture of pollutants comprising metamitron, methylene blue, rhodamine B and 2, 4-dichlorophenol. This is a first of its kind study to demonstrate the application of TiO₂-MOF composite for photocatalytic degradation of a highly complex mixed pollutant.