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<p>The persistence of pharmaceutical contaminants in water systems poses significant environmental and health risks, necessitating innovative and sustainable remediation strategies. This study examines the development of a structurally engineered monolithic photocatalyst for the efficient degradation of ciprofloxacin, a widely used antibiotic that contributes to water pollution and antimicrobial resistance. Herein, a novel silver-doped zinc oxide (Ag:ZnO) catalyst grown on graphene-nanosheets/nickel foam (Ni/GF) is reported, specifically designed to enhance photocatalytic activity and stability in complex water matrices. The hexagonal ZnO nanorods, coupled with cubic silver nanoparticles embedded within graphene nanosheets, provided superior physicochemical and electrochemical properties. Morphological and functional analysis exhibited evidence of metallic silver formation. UV–visible spectrum showed red shift with the increase of silver concentration (380–390&#xa0;nm), reflecting lowering of band gap ranging from 3.10 to 2.44&#xa0;eV, enhancing the light absorption capacity of the catalyst. The optimized 3% Ag:ZnO/Ni/GF catalyst demonstrated excellent electrocatalytic performance, exhibiting remarkably low overpotentials (HER: 210&#xa0;mV; OER: 84&#xa0;mV), minimal charge transfer resistance (HER: 7.47Ω; OER: 1.65Ω), and a high Tafel slope due to bubbles formation (HER: 101.18&#xa0;mV/dec; OER: 79&#xa0;mV/dec) at a current density of 10&#xa0;mA/cm<sup>2</sup> in an alkaline electrolyte. The sunlight-assisted photocatalytic degradation efficiency of optimized catalyst exhibited maximum of 78% removal in 70&#xa0;min, twice the efficiency of pure ZnO/Ni/GF (37%). The photodegradation trend followed by monolithic catalyst: 3%Ag:ZnO/Ni/GF &gt; 5%Ag:ZnO/Ni/GF &gt; 1%Ag:ZnO/Ni/GF &gt; pureZnO/Ni/GF. The reusability assessment indicated excellent photostability, with minimal deactivation of 1.5% after three cycles. These findings assist in scaling up the monolithic catalyst for real wastewater systems.</p>

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Structurally engineered monolithic catalyst for enhanced sunlight-driven degradation of ciprofloxacin in contaminated water systems

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年7月4日

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  • Iqra Mazhar,
  • Muhammad Afzaal,
  • Muhammad Altaf,
  • Manzar Sohail,
  • Raja Shahid Ashraf,
  • Abdul-Sattar Nizami

摘要

The persistence of pharmaceutical contaminants in water systems poses significant environmental and health risks, necessitating innovative and sustainable remediation strategies. This study examines the development of a structurally engineered monolithic photocatalyst for the efficient degradation of ciprofloxacin, a widely used antibiotic that contributes to water pollution and antimicrobial resistance. Herein, a novel silver-doped zinc oxide (Ag:ZnO) catalyst grown on graphene-nanosheets/nickel foam (Ni/GF) is reported, specifically designed to enhance photocatalytic activity and stability in complex water matrices. The hexagonal ZnO nanorods, coupled with cubic silver nanoparticles embedded within graphene nanosheets, provided superior physicochemical and electrochemical properties. Morphological and functional analysis exhibited evidence of metallic silver formation. UV–visible spectrum showed red shift with the increase of silver concentration (380–390 nm), reflecting lowering of band gap ranging from 3.10 to 2.44 eV, enhancing the light absorption capacity of the catalyst. The optimized 3% Ag:ZnO/Ni/GF catalyst demonstrated excellent electrocatalytic performance, exhibiting remarkably low overpotentials (HER: 210 mV; OER: 84 mV), minimal charge transfer resistance (HER: 7.47Ω; OER: 1.65Ω), and a high Tafel slope due to bubbles formation (HER: 101.18 mV/dec; OER: 79 mV/dec) at a current density of 10 mA/cm2 in an alkaline electrolyte. The sunlight-assisted photocatalytic degradation efficiency of optimized catalyst exhibited maximum of 78% removal in 70 min, twice the efficiency of pure ZnO/Ni/GF (37%). The photodegradation trend followed by monolithic catalyst: 3%Ag:ZnO/Ni/GF > 5%Ag:ZnO/Ni/GF > 1%Ag:ZnO/Ni/GF > pureZnO/Ni/GF. The reusability assessment indicated excellent photostability, with minimal deactivation of 1.5% after three cycles. These findings assist in scaling up the monolithic catalyst for real wastewater systems.