Electronic Materials Research Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education & Shaanxi Engineering Research Center of Advanced Energy Materials and Devices, School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China.
Yinchuan University of Energy, Yinchuan 750100, Ningxia Province, China.
Environ Res. 2024 Nov 15;261:119721. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119721. Epub 2024 Aug 2.
The indiscriminate discharge of micropollutants (e.g., dyes, antibiotics, industrial additives, etc.) represents a significant risk to human health, and the removal of these substances from water bodies has become a prominent area of research within the field of environmental remediation. A simple hydrothermal-precipitation-photoreduction method was employed to synthesize novel Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts of AgBr/CoWO/Ag. The catalysts demonstrated remarkable degradation capabilities with regard to a range of micropollutants present in wastewater. Of the catalysts tested, 5AgBr/CoWO/Ag exhibited the highest degradation rates, reaching 98.58% for Rhodamine B, 86.82% for tetracycline hydrochloride, and 95.60% for 2-mercaptobenzothiazole within 60 min. In particular, the reaction kinetic rate of 5AgBr/CoWO/Ag towards Rhodamine B degradation (k = 0.26278 L mg·min) is 9 times that of AgBr (k = 0.02953 L mg·min) and 113 times that of CoWO (k = 0.00233 L mg·min), which serves to highlight the exceptional photocatalytic activity of the material. The experimental data and subsequent analysis indicated that the enhanced photocatalytic performance can be attributed to two factors: firstly, the electron mediation by Ag nanoparticles leading to improved charge separation efficiency, and secondly, the formation of Z-scheme heterojunctions between AgBr and CoWO. The cyclic tests provided confirmation of the excellent stability and recyclability of the AgBr/CoWO/Ag photocatalysts. It is anticipated that this study will facilitate the development of novel methods for the degradation of refractory micropollutants and provide insights into environmental remediation, thereby contributing to the sustainable development of society.
无目的排放的微污染物（例如染料、抗生素、工业添加剂等）对人类健康构成了重大威胁，因此，从水体中去除这些物质已成为环境修复领域的一个重要研究领域。采用简单的水热沉淀光还原法合成了新型 AgBr/CoWO/Ag Z 型异质结光催化剂。该催化剂对废水中存在的多种微污染物表现出显著的降解能力。在所测试的催化剂中，5AgBr/CoWO/Ag 的降解率最高，60 min 内对 Rhodamine B 的降解率达到 98.58%，对盐酸四环素的降解率达到 86.82%，对 2-巯基苯并噻唑的降解率达到 95.60%。特别是，5AgBr/CoWO/Ag 对 Rhodamine B 降解的反应动力学速率（k = 0.26278 L mg·min）是 AgBr（k = 0.02953 L mg·min）的 9 倍，是 CoWO（k = 0.00233 L mg·min）的 113 倍，这突出了该材料的卓越光催化活性。实验数据和后续分析表明，增强的光催化性能归因于两个因素：首先，Ag 纳米粒子的电子介导导致电荷分离效率提高，其次，AgBr 和 CoWO 之间形成 Z 型异质结。循环测试证实了 AgBr/CoWO/Ag 光催化剂具有优异的稳定性和可回收性。预计本研究将有助于开发难降解微污染物降解的新方法，并为环境修复提供新的思路，从而为社会的可持续发展做出贡献。
