Construction of novel ternary MoSe2/ZnO/p-BN photocatalyst for efficient ofloxacin degradation under visible light

Abstract

Photocatalysis has attracted much attention in the field of environmental remediation. However, the photocatalytic performance largely depends on efficient charge migration and solar light utilization. Herein, the ternary MoSe2/ZnO/p-BN (MZB) photocatalyst was successfully designed and synthesized. The degradation rate of the optimal sample 30 wt% MZB for ofloxacin (OFL) under visible light irradiation can reach 99.2%, and the photocatalytic reaction rate is 5.33 times and 2.10 times higher than that of pure ZnO and ZnO/p-BN. In the MoSe2/ZnO/p-BN system, p-BN can achieve the enrichment of pollutant to accelerate the catalytic rate, while the hybridization of MoSe2 expands the spectral response of the catalysts. In addition, the formation of stepped electron transport routes reduces the electron-hole pair recombination rate. The active species quenching experiments reveal that e-, •O2−, h+ and •OH play a major role in the removal of antibiotic contaminants. The analysis of OFL degradation intermediates reveals the possible degradation pathways and proposes a reasonable photocatalyst mechanism. Therefore, this work provides new ideas for designing high-performance visible light responsive photocatalysts for pollution treatment.