Photocatalytic degradation activity and pathways of moxifloxacin over metal ion-doped Bi2O3 nanofibres prepared via electrospinning

Photocatalytic degradation technology is a potential way to remove organic pollutants from water. In this study, Bi 2 O 3 nanofibres doped with different metal ions (Co 2+ , Ni 2+ , and Zn 2+ ) were fabricated successfully using the electrospinning method for use as photocatalysts. Compared to pure Bi 2 O 3 nanofibres, the energy band gap and the recombination rate of photogenerated carriers were reduced in Co 2+ -doped Bi 2 O 3 nanofibers, which significantly improved the photocatalytic performance of the Bi 2 O 3 nanofibres. Typically, the moxifloxacin degradation rate was 98.2% after 70 min irradiation over Co 2+ -doped Bi 2 O 3 . Although h + , ∙O 2 – , and ∙OH were detected in the photocatalytic process, the dominant active species was h + . In addition, three degradation pathways containing 12 intermediates were proposed.