Ag3PO4@UMOFNs Core–Shell Structure: Two-Dimensional MOFs Promoted Photoinduced Charge Separation and Photocatalysis

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are a new type of functional material that is self-assembled by metal ions and organic ligands. In this paper, a bimetal–organic framework was synthesized and stripped into two-dimensional nanosheets structure via an ultrasonic method. We coated the UMOFNs (ultrathinning MOFs into two-dimensional nanosheets) on Ag3PO4 nanoparticles to obtain Ag3PO4@UMOFNs core–shell photocatalysts. Under visible-light irradiation, the degradation of phenol was 100% within 16 min, and the degradation of biphenyl A was 98.9% within 20 min via Ag3PO4@UMOFNs (5 wt %). These values were 1.6- and 1.8-times higher than Ag3PO4, respectively. The activity of the Ag3PO4@UMOFNs increased due to the synergistic effects. The π–π bonds of the organic ligands and weak interactions between UMOFNs and Ag3PO4 collectively promote charge transfer. In addition, matching energy-level structures and a sufficiently large contact area accelerate the separation of the photogenerated charges and improve the activity. This remarkably improves the photocatalytic activity