Synthesis of Double-Shell Hollow TiO(2)@ZIF-8 Nanoparticles With Enhanced Photocatalytic Activities

Synthesis of semiconductor-MOF heterostructure photocatalysts has attracted considerable attention for their thermal stability, controllable crystallinity, and enhanced photocatalytic activity. In this work, the hollow nanostructure of anatase TiO(2) was prepared by etching SiO(2) from core–shell SiO(2)@TiO(2) nanoparticles. ZIF-8, one of the metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), was hybrid synthesized on the surface of hollow TiO(2) and formed double-shell hollow nanoparticles. The photocatalytic activity of the double-shell hollow TiO(2)@ZIF-8 nanoparticles toward methylene blue (MB) under UV light irradiation was processed, and the highest photocatalytic efficiency of 99.1% was shown compared with TiO(2) and SiO(2)@TiO(2) nanoparticles. This study suggests a promising approach to achieve an advanced photocatalytic performance toward dye degradation using MOFs for the surface engineering of semiconductors.