In-situ H2O2 production for tetracycline degradation on Ag/s-(Co3O4/NiFe2O4) visible light magnetically recyclable photocatalyst

Abstract

Few investigations have reported appreciable photocatalytic H2O2 formation from pure water with the in situ degradation of an organic pollutant. We have prepared a magnetically recyclable Ag/s-(Co3O4/NiFe2O4) type II heterojunction photocatalyst that produced considerable H2O2 from pure water under visible light irradiation. Furthermore, the H2O2 produced by this process could efficiently degrade tetracycline. A multi-step precipitation protocol was followed for the preparation of this photocatalyst. Components for photocatalyst construction were chosen using band positions and oxygen adsorption properties. Large-scale molecular dynamics simulations were used to investigate the affinity of a component surface toward oxygen adsorption in an aqueous medium. XPS analysis suggested that Ag nanostructures on the Co3O4/NiFe2O4 composite as electron-rich reaction centers for oxygen reduction·H2O2 production on this photocatalyst was tested under various control conditions. The presence of an electron donor further enhanced both H2O2 production and tetracycline degradation rates.