Improving the photocatalytic performance of polyimide by constructing an inorganic-organic hybrid ZnO-polyimide core–shell structure

• ZnO-polyimide core–shell hybrid photocatalysts were facilely prepared through one-step calcinations process.
• The resultant ZnO-polyimide hybrids show improved photocatalytic decolorization activity for MB dye.
• The photogenerated holes are active species for MB decolorization.

Inorganic–organic hybrid ZnO-polyimide core–shell photocatalysts were facilely fabricated through a one-step calcination process. The resultant hybrids showed remarkablly enhanced photocatalytic activity for methylene blue (MB) decolorization under visible light irradiation. The decolorization rate of the optimum ZnO-polyimide photocatalyst (∼31 wt% of ZnO) is 1.2 times of the pristine polyimide under the same experimental conditions. The photocatalytic mechanism reveals that the direct oxidation by photogenerated holes is the main reaction pathway for MB degradation. The enhanced photoactivity for MB decolorization over ZnO-polyimide hybrids is attributed to the effective interfacial charge transfer between ZnO and polyimide, thereby, suppresses the recombination of the photoexcited electron-hole pairs and improves the photocatalytic efficiency.

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