Decoration of 0D Bi3NbO7 nanoparticles onto 2D BiOIO3 nanosheets as visible-light responsive S-scheme photocatalyst for photo-oxidation of antibiotics in wastewater.

In this work, a new S-type hybrid composed of 2D BiOIO3 and 0D Bi3NbO7 was proposed and hybridized by a facile self-assembly strategy. The developed nanomaterials were characterized and identified by a series of sophisticated analyses, like XRD, SEM, EIS, XPS, PL, UPS, EDS, BET, M-S, TEM, HRTEM, and DRS. The photocatalytic behavior of BiOIO3/Bi3NbO7 was examined and optimized against amoxicillin (AMX) and other types of antibiotics under a variety of environmental conditions, such as visible light (150 W LED), direct sunlight, pH (3-11), catalyst dosages (20-80 mg), humic acid (0-24 mg/L), AMX concentration (10-40 mg/L), and different inorganic ions (0.05 M). The optimized BiOIO3/Bi3NbO7 hybrid attained exceptional AMX degradation activity (96.5%) under visible light (60 min), with a reaction constant of up to 0.04559 min-1, exceeding bare BiOIO3 and Bi3NbO7 by 5.57 and 5.3 folds, respectively. The obtained BiOIO3/Bi3NbO7 hybrid unclosed expanded light utilization behavior compared with neat catalysts, which originates from the powerful incorporation between BiOIO3 and Bi3NbO7 in the S-type system. The radical investigations confirmed the superiority of BiOIO3/Bi3NbO7 in generating both •OH and •O2- during the photoreaction. The novel Bi3NbO7-based heterojunction afforded robust photostability in five treatment cycles and simple charge transfer activity in the S-type route, boosting the photo-mechanism for antibiotic degradation in an efficient manner. The building of the S-scheme heterojunction between BiOIO3 and Bi3NbO7 stimulates the utilization of holes by the recombination process and promotes the overall stability of the composite. Our study introduces a new class of semiconductor heterojunctions that may contribute to the development potential of the photocatalysis sector in wastewater treatment.

Design and construction of a robust ternary Bi5O7I/Cd0.5Zn0.5S/CuO photocatalytic system for boosted photodegradation of antibiotics via dual-S-scheme mechanisms: Environmental factors and degradation intermediates.

The detection of efficacious and environment-friendly nanomaterials with prominent photocatalytic performance is crucial for the detoxification of antibiotics in wastewater. Herein, a dual-S-scheme Bi5O7I/Cd0.5Zn0.5S/CuO semiconductor was designed and fabricated via a simple approach to degrade tetracycline (TC) and other types of antibiotics under LED illumination. However, Cd0.5Zn0.5S and CuO nanoparticles were decorated on the surface of the Bi5O7I microsphere to create a dual-S-scheme system that stimulates visible-light utilization and facilitates the dissolution of excited photo-curriers. Therefore, the Bi5O7I/Cd0.5Zn0.5S/CuO system offers strong redox ability, which reflects reinforced photocatalytic activity and robust stability. The ternary heterojunction discloses enhanced TC detoxification efficiency of 92% in 60 min with TC destruction rate constant of 0.04034 min-1, outperforming pure Bi5O7I, Cd0.5Zn0.5S, and CuO by 4.27, 3.20, and 4.80 folds, respectively. Besides, Bi5O7I/Cd0.5Zn0.5S/CuO manifests outstanding photo-activity against a series of antibiotics like norfloxacin, enrofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and levofloxacin under the same operational conditions. The active species detection, TC destruction pathways, catalyst stability, and photoreaction mechanisms of Bi5O7I/Cd0.5Zn0.5S/CuO were accurately explained in detail. Summarily, this work introduces a new class of dual-S-scheme system with strengthened catalytic properties to effectively eliminate the antibiotics in wastewater under visible-light illumination.