Abstract
A critical issue in the removal of fluoroquinolone antibiotics, which were frequently detected in drinking water sources and water treatment plants, is the design of highly efficient photocatalysts. In order to utilize visible-light, improve the electrons transfer and reduce the recombination of photogenerated carriers, TiO2-X/Ag3PO4 heterojunctions were fabricated by hydrothermal technology combined with the coprecipitation method for the first time. The morphological, structural, and optical properties of as-prepared catalysts were extensively characterized. In comparison with single-phase TiO2-X and Ag3PO4, TiO2-X/Ag3PO4 composite exhibited enhanced photocatalytic efficiency for the degradation of methyl orange (MO) and gatifloxacin (GAT). Especially for the composite with the mole ratio of TiO2-X and Ag3PO4 was 1:1, the reduction of antimicrobial activity of the GAT byproducts reached 82.4% after 5 min visible-light irradiation. Furthermore, the pathway in photocatalytic decomposition of GAT was proposed by HPLC-MS and the electron transfer mechanism over TiO2-X/Ag3PO4 heterojunctions was suggested by the radical capture experiments, transient photocurrent responses, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests.
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