Engineering Z-Scheme Bi2S3/CeO2/Ni(OH)2 Heterojunctions for Enhanced Visible-Light Photocatalytic Degradation of Tetracycline Hydrochloride

Recently, several emerging pollutants have caused increasing damage to aquatic ecosystems. Reducing antibiotic concentrations in water by visible light is one of the most promising strategies for sustainable development. Here, a Bi 2 S 3 /CeO 2 /Ni(OH) 2 Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst was prepared by the hydrothermal method, which could effectively utilize free radicals to degrade tetracycline. Ni(OH) 2 was used for co-catalysing in photodegradation experiments to improve electron transfer and enhance photocatalytic performance. The degradation rate of the Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst for 20 mg/L TC was 91.35% after reacting 60 min under visible light irradiation. Besides, it also investigated such operational parameters influencing the photocatalytic reaction as catalyst dosage, initial concentration of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC), and solution pH. Studies using free radical scavenging experiments and electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements demonstrated that hydroxyl radicals (·OH) and superoxide radicals (·O 2 − ) both contributed to the photodegradation of TC. Finally, with high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), potential degradation pathways of the intermediate products were logically inferred as well as the photocatalytic mechanism. The experimental results surface that the prepared Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst Bi 2 S 3 /CeO 2 /Ni(OH) 2 exhibits superior photocatalytic performance, offering a novel approach to addressing TC contamination in environmental settings. Graphical