Abstract
The fabrication of visible light responsive heterojunction photocatalyst with efficient charge separation and transfer is an important quest in the exploitation of photocatalysis for environmental remediation. In this work, a ternary heterostructure comprising of zinc niobate (ZnNb2O6) coupled with sulphur-doped graphitic carbon nitride (SC3N4) and decorated with varying loadings of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) was obtained using ultrasonic synthesis. The photocatalysts were characterized extensively using various microscopic, spectroscopic, and electrochemical analytical techniques. The 5 wt%Ag/ZnNb2O6 @SC3N4 heterojunction showed the highest degradation efficiencies towards the antibiotic drugs; levofloxacin (LVF, 94.6 % removal) and ofloxacin (OFX, 98.0 % removal) in just 60 min of visible light irradiation. This activity is nearly 5 times and 3.5 times higher than that over ZnNb2O6 @SC3N4 for LVF and OFX, respectively, which indicates the importance of incorporating the Ag NPs towards better visible utilization, improved charge separation efficiency and lower charge transfer resistance. The influence of pH, photocatalyst dose and initial concentration of pollutant were investigated. Finally, a typical Ag NPs mediated indirect Z-Scheme charge transfer mechanism was proposed to describe the formation of the reactive species and subsequent degradation of the pollutants. This work demonstrates a systematic design of simple but efficient photocatalytic nanocomposites with the capability to ameliorate a wide variety of fluoroquinolone drugs, which is significant towards pharmaceutical pollution mitigation.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
