Facile construction of Z-scheme AgCl/BiTaO photocatalysts for effective removal of tetracycline under visible-light irradiation.

A string of AgCl/BiTaO two-component composite was synthesized by hydrothermal and deposition-precipitation process initially. The photocatalytic activities of mixed-phase AgCl/BiTaO were evaluated toward the decomposition of tetracycline (TC). Among these as-prepared materials, AgCl/BiTaO nanocomposites when the molar ratio of baked materials between AgCl and BiTaO was 1:5 presented the optimal photocatalytic quantum efficiency for TC dissociation (86.82%) with visible-light exposure, which was 1.69 and 2.38 folders higher than that of single BiTaO and AgCl, respectively. What is more, it illustrated that the photo-generated carriers were markedly isolated on account of the formation of heterojunction confirmed by EIS analysis. Meanwhile, radical trapping experiments implied that the photo-induced holes (h), hydroxyl radical (·OH), and superoxide radical (·O) were the major active species. The escalated photocatalytic activity could be ascribed to the unique construction of Z-scheme AgCl/BiTaO heterojunction, which could expedite charge separation and transmission, cement light absorption capability and retain the strong redox ability of photo-generated electrons and holes. Our finding suggests that AgCl/BiTaO nanocomposites possess great potential for photocatalytic oxidation of residual TC in the wastewater effluents and the reported strategy can contribute to the development of novel high-performance photocatalyst.