Enhanced photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride by hollow nanofiber Ag@ZnGa2O4/ZnO with synergistic effects of LSPR and S-scheme interface engineering

Abstract

Compared with traditional photocatalytic materials, hollow nanofibers can show greatly improved photocatalytic efficiency due to their large specific surface area and more surface-active sites. In this work, one-dimensional (1D) hollow ZnGa₂O₄/ZnO nanofibers were successfully prepared by coaxial electrospinning technology first, and then the effect of Ag photodeposition on the photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC-HCl) was studied. It is found that Ag can improve the light absorption of the Ag@ZnGa₂O₄/ZnO architecture, and meanwhile an S-scheme heterojunction forms between ZnGa₂O₄ and ZnO, which can synergistically increase the amounts and reduce the recombination of photogenerated carriers, thereby improving the photocatalytic degradation performance. By optimizing the ratio of different mass fractions of Ag, the maximum degradation rate can reach 0.0708 min⁻¹, which is 22 times that of the TC-HCl self-degradation rate. This work not only provides a new idea for the preparation of a 1D hollow nanofiber heterojunction photocatalyst, but has also prepared an effective catalyst for photocatalytic degradation of TC-HCl.