Preparing Ti3C2-modified ZnFe2O4 photocatalytic materials and evaluating their performance in degrading tetracycline in water

Abstract

To address the increasingly severe problem of water pollution, investigating novel, highly efficient, water treatment materials has become the current research hotspot. Herein, metal–oxygen-rich Ti₃C₂-modified ZnFe₂O₄ photocatalytic materials have been designed under alkaline conditions using the solvothermal method to achieve high-efficiency degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) in water. Experimental results reveal that Ti₃C₂/ZnFe₂O₄ couples well and exhibits excellent optoelectronic and carrier-separating properties. Under visible light, 0.25/1 Ti₃C₂/ZnFe₂O₄ exhibited the best photocatalytic performance with a TCH removal efficiency of 87.10%; its reaction rate was 2.0 and 35.2 times higher than those of ZnFe₂O₄ and Ti₃C₂, respectively. Using the electron spin resonance technique, ·O₂⁻, ·OH and h⁺ were determined to be the active substances involved in the photocatalytic degradation of TCH; on this basis, a reaction mechanism was proposed. The intermediates of TCH generated during photocatalytic degradation were identified using high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry, and possible degradation pathways were analysed. In addition, the potential toxicity of the intermediates in the environment was calculated and analysed using Ecological Structure Activity Relationships (ECOSAR) simulations, and the responsiveness of the photocatalytic materials to other pollutants in water was assessed in terms of universality. Experimental results reveal that Ti₃C₂ and ZnFe₂O₄ coupled photocatalytic materials exhibit excellent performance when degrading TCH, as well as high environmental friendliness, broadening their potential application in the field of water environment remediation.