Peroxymonosulfate-assisted layered MXene/flower-like C-doped SnS2 Schottky junction photocatalyst for ciprofloxacin effective degradation

Given the pressing need to treat wastewater contaminated with antibiotics, particularly ciprofloxacin (CIP), a novel 2D MXene/flower-like C-SnS 2 Schottky junction photocatalyst was developed for the CIP degradation using a peroxymonosulfate (PMS)-assisted photocatalytic system. Under visible light irradiation, the 10-MXene/C-SnS 2 /PMS system achieved a CIP degradation efficiency of 98.2 % (rate constant: 0.07068 min⁻¹) within 60 min, representing 5.51-fold and 4.52-fold enhancements compared to C-SnS 2 and MXene/C-SnS 2 , respectively. These results demonstrated the synergistic effect between photocatalysis and PMS activation, as well as the critical role of MXene in enhancing the reaction efficiency. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations, combined with experimental data, elucidated the catalytic reaction mechanism. Moreover, Gaussian calculations identified key degradation intermediates. This study provides new insights into the construction of Schottky heterojunction photocatalysts combined with PMS catalytic systems for the degradation of organic pollutants.