Oxygen Vacancy Defect Engineering on ZnFe2O4/wt.%CoCr2O4 Heterojunction Toward the Degradation of Tetracycline Hydrochloride
摘要
The effect of oxygen vacancy (OV) defects in ZnFe2O4/wt.%CoCr2O4 (ZFO/wt.%CCO) composites on photocatalytic activity has been investigated. ZFO/wt.%CCO composites with different OV defect concentrations were prepared by adjusting the mass ratio of ZFO and CCO in the composites and annealing under air atmosphere. The photocatalytic degradation test of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) showed that the photocatalytic activity of the samples was consistent with the level of OV defect content in the sample, that is, the photocatalytic activity of the composites increased with the increase in OV defect content. When CCO accounted for 75% of the total mass, the best performance was achieved due to the highest OV defect content. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry was utilized to identify the degradation intermediates and pathways. The toxicity of the TC solution and degradation intermediates was assessed using toxicity analysis software. The optimum conditions and reusability for photocatalytic degradation of TC were systematically studied. The results show that OV defects in composites play a key role in improving the photocatalytic activity for the degradation of TC.
Graphical Abstract