Fast preparation of FeO@polydopamine/Au for highly efficient degradation of tetracycline.

This work reported the fast synthesis of magnetic polydopamine Au-Fenton catalyst (FeO@PDA/Au) under UV irradiation at 365 nm. The microstructure of prepared nanocomposites was characterized by various techniques. The effects of several key factors (pH values, HO content and TC concentration) of tetracycline (TC) degradation were evaluated. The results revealed that the TC and total organic carbon (TOC) removal rate reached up to 98.16% and 93.14% within 300 min under optimal conditions (pH 3, HO 80 μL, TC concentration 20 mg/L). Besides, HO radicals were generated during the Fenton-like degradation process and the plausible degradation mechanism was discussed. Moreover, FeO@PDA/Au catalyst retained excellent catalytic capacity (TC removal rate 96.94% and TOC removal rate 87.69%) and exhibited fantastic stability after six cycles. Moreover, metal ions leaching was evaluated (0.023 mg/L). Altogether, the novel FeO@PDA/Au Fenton-like catalyst is highly promising for wastewater management.