Facile defect construction of TiO2 nanotube for excellent photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline under visible light

Abstract

Developing facile fabricating cheap photocatalyst with high activity is a promising strategy for the degradation of tetracycline. Herein, we report that the well-designed photocatalysts with optimal activity and stability prepared via facile Ar atmosphere calcination with H-titanate nanotubes as precursors. The excellent visible light behavior is attribute to suitable oxygen vacancies (Ti3+ sites) acted as charge carrier traps so as to accelerate the separation of the photogenerated electrons and holes and favorable for the photocatalytic reaction. Significantly, the photocatalyst exhibited repeatedly activity without degradation in the cyclic stability experiment attributed to the highly stable of oxygen vacancies (Ti3+ sites) in water or air under visible light illumination. The excellent photocatalytic efficiency for TC degradation exhibited both h+ and ⋅O2– were significant active species under visible light irradiation. These findings promote a facile method to construct efficient photocatalyst for TC degradation with defect-mediated strategy.