Preparation of UiO-66-NH2/Bi2.15WO6 composite with enhanced tetracycline degradation under weak light intensity

Photocatalysis is a promising technology for wastewater treatment. It is a key problem to develop photocatalytic materials that can efficiently remove tetracycline (TC) under weak light intensity. This article synthesized the UiO-66-NH 2 /Bi 2.15 WO 6 heterojunction using a solvothermal method, and its specific surface area increases by 2.1 times relative to Bi 2.15 WO 6 , endowing good adsorption capacity for TC. Compared with Bi 2.15 WO 6 , the heterojunction effectively improves the separation of electrons and holes and enhances the photocatalytic performance. Under weak light intensity (4 mW cm −2 ), the removal percentage of 50 mg L −1 TC can reach 78.0%, attributing to a synergistic effect between adsorption and photocatalysis. The free radical capture experiment showed that TC was photodegradation mainly under the action of hole (h + ) and superoxide radical (·O 2 − ). Finally, through LC/MS analysis, it is inferred that TC is degraded into H 2 O and CO 2 after a series of reactions such as deamination, dehydroxylation, amide bond breaking and ring opening. This study provides insights for the synthesis of more powerful photocatalysts for TC removal.