Modulation of the structure and composition of a binary
heterojunction
can skillfully transfer photoinduced charge carriers and perfectly
boost the photodegradation performance of pollutants in wastewater
under a 300 W Xe lamp illumination. Herein, a novel binary heterojunction
ZnAlS
x
@g-C3N4 with
different load proportions of ZnAlS
x
was
perfectly constructed by readily hydrothermal treatment and characterized
experimentally by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,
scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,
UV–vis spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, photoluminescence,
and so forth. The photodegradation performance of tetracycline (TC)
by prepared ZnAlS
x
@g-C3N4 was measured under various photocatalytic conditions, including
TC pollutant concentration, catalyst dosage, pH values, and competing
ions in the photocatalytic system. The results suggested that the
ZASCN-3 (30 wt % of ZAS compared to CN) composites exhibited the best
photodegradation activity (94.05%), with h+ as the primary
active substance and O2
•– as the
second-most important substance, which was over 2.2 and 5.0 orders
of degradation rate higher than pure ZAS and CN, respectively. The
improved photocatalytic ability of ZASCN composites was put down to
intimate contact interfaces between ZAS and CN and Z-scheme electron–hole
pairs induced, which were sped up by the efficient separation of photogenerated
carriers. In addition, the ZASCN-3 composites exhibited an outstanding
stable photodegradation activity based on the cycling test and the
superior widespread applicability toward other pollutants, including
dyes, antibiotics, and environmental water. The plausible Z-scheme
photocatalytic mechanism for TC degradation over the ZASCN hybrid
was surmised according to the trapping experiments.
The construction of a photocatalyst with a heterostructure for the photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics in wastewater is considered as an ecofriendly and promising strategy. Herein, the two-dimensional NiAl-LDH nanosheets were uniformly grown on the (BiO) 2 CO 3 matrix, successfully forming a series of Zscheme heterojunction NiAl-LDH/(BiO) 2 CO 3 photocatalysts. When the mass fraction of (BiO) 2 CO 3 achieved 25%, the prepared heterojunction photocatalyst exhibits superior performance (0.01193 min −1 ) and excellent stability (five cycles) for photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline. Moreover, the prepared heterojunction had a faster degradation rate in a natural water body, which indicated its excellent practicability. Due to the matched energy bands, Z-scheme heterojunctions were formed between two semiconductors. The Z-scheme heterojunction can effectively promote the separation efficiency of photogenerated charge-hole pairs and generate more active electrons and holes, therefore providing more radicals and active sites for photocatalytic reactions. This work is expected to be used to remove antibiotics from actual water bodies.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.