A novel g-C3N4@BiTiO2/NiO ternary heterostructure photocatalysts for effective degradation of tetracycline under light illumination

Abstract

The effective removal of pharmaceutical contaminants from water sources is a critical environmental concern. In this research, we present an innovative g-C3N4@BiTiO2/NiO heterostructure photocatalyst for enhanced the higher degradation of tetracycline (TC) under visible-light radiation. The heterostructure combines the advantages of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), bismuth titanate (BiTiO2), and nickel oxide (NiO) to exploit their synergistic effects and enhance photocatalytic performance. The g-C3N4@BiTiO2/NiO heterostructure photocatalyst exhibits improved light absorption capabilities owing to the incorporation of g-C3N4 and BiTiO2, enabling efficient utilization of visible-light radiation. The visible light active the catalytic degradation of tetracycline was evaluated as a model reaction, and the g-C3N4@BiTiO2/NiO ternary heterostructure photocatalyst demonstrated superior performance in the degradation process and the removal efficiency of 91.2% for TC within 50 min under visible-light radiation. The trapping test discovered •O2 radical and •OH radical are the primary active species in the degradation process. Overall, this research contributes to the advancement of photocatalytic technology and offers a sustainable approach to mitigate pharmaceutical pollution in water sources. The novel g-C3N4@BiTiO2/NiO ternary heterostructure photocatalyst holds great potential for practical environmental science and engineering applications.