Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) attract considerable attention due to tunable structures, tailorable functionalities, and replaceable metal centers, leading to comprehensive applications, such as semiconductors, catalysts, and photocatalysts. Herein, basic concepts and overall synthetic technologies of MOF materials are introduced, such as solvothermal, hydrothermal, microwave-assisted, sonochemical, mechanochemical, and electrochemical methods. MOFs can provide an orderly porous structure, which will contribute to the high exposure of active sites and hence promote the photocatalytic performance efficiently. In this paper, the applications of MOFs for photocatalytic reactions, mainly in photocatalytic hydrogen production, and other possible utilizations, including CO₂ reduction, oxidative degradation, and organic transformations, are summarized. We give a concise review of recent progress in MOF materials for photocatalysis. A summary and prospect for MOFs in photocatalysis are also highlighted.

In this study, perovskite ZnTiO₃ photocatalysts were fabricated by the sol–gel method. The photocatalytic capability was verified by the degradation of the emerging contaminant, the antibiotic amoxicillin (AMX). For the preparation, the parameters of the calcination temperature and the additional amount of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and ammonia are discussed, including the calcining temperature (500, 600, 700, 800 °C), the volume of ammonia (750, 1500, 3000 μL), and the weight of PVP (3 g and 5 g). The prepared perovskite ZnTiO₃ was characterized by XRD, FESEM, BET, and UV-Vis. It is shown that the perovskite ZnTiO₃ photocatalysts are structurally rod-like and ultraviolet light-responsive. Consequently, the synthesis conditions for fabricating the perovskite ZnTiO₃ photocatalysts with the highest photocatalytic performance were a calcining temperature of 700 °C, an additional ammonia amount of 1500 μL, and added PVP of 5 g. Moreover, the photocatalytic degradation of perovskite ZnTiO₃ photocatalysts on other pollutants, including the antibiotic tetracycline (TC), methyl orange (MO), and methylene blue (MB) dyes, was also examined. This provides the basis for the application of perovskite ZnTiO₃ as a photocatalyst to decompose emerging contaminants and organic pollutants in wastewater treatment.

Effective La-doped SrTiO₃ (Sr_1−xLa_xTiO₃, x = 0–0.1 mol.% La-doped) nanocubes were successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal method. The influence of different La dopant concentrations on the physicochemical properties of the host structure of SrTiO₃ was fully characterized. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that the Sr²⁺ in the crystal lattice of SrTiO₃ was substituted by La³⁺. As a result, the absorption region of the Sr_1−xLa_xTiO₃ could be extended to visible light. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images confirmed that their morphologies are associated with an increased surface area and an increased La-doping concentration. The decrease in the photoluminescence (PL) intensity of the dopant samples showed more defect levels created by the dopant La⁺³ cations in the SrTiO₃ structure. The photocatalytic activities of Sr_1−xLa_xTiO₃ were evaluated with regard to the degradation of 2-naphthol at typical conditions under artificial solar light. Among the candidates, Sr_0.95La_0.05TiO₃ exhibited the highest photocatalytic performance for the degradation of 2-naphthol, which reached 92% degradation efficiency, corresponding to a 0.0196 min⁻¹ degradation rate constant, within 180 minutes of irradiation. Manipulating the structure of Sr_1−xLa_xTiO₃ nanocubes could produce a more effective and stable degradation efficiency than their parent compound, SrTiO₃. The parameters remarkably influence the Sr_1−xLa_xTiO₃ nanocubes’ structure, and their degradation efficiencies were also studied. Undoubtedly, substantial breakthroughs of Sr_1−xLa_xTiO₃ nanocube photocatalysts toward the treatment of organic contaminants from industrial wastewater are expected shortly.