Construction of mechanically robust and recyclable photocatalytic hydrogel based on nanocellulose-supported CdS/MoS2/Montmorillonite hybrid for antibiotic degradation

A novel photocatalytic hydrogel was prepared by the direct coagulation casting of CdS/MoS 2 /Montmorillonite (CMMt) and TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofiber (TOCN)-mediated polyacrylamide (PAM). The extremely high specific surface area of CdS/MoS 2 /Mt and the three-dimensional network-structured PAM-TOCN matrix contributed to the adsorption of tetracycline (TC) in wastewater treatment . The effect of the initial pH on the degradation of TC by PAM-TOCN-CMMt was analyzed, and its degradation rate reached 90.03% in 120 min at pH 7.5. In addition to being a visible-light-driven catalyst, CdS/MoS 2 /Mt acts as a reinforcing agent, and the tensile stress of PAM-TOCN-CMMt increased by 41% compared with that of PAM-TOCN. The compressive strength of TOCN-PAM-CMMt at an 80% strain level was 65% higher than that of PAM-TOCN. Thus, PAM-TOCN-CMMt, with high mechanical strength , offers multiple separations and recycling, and the TC removal rate is still more than 70.5% after five cycles. Moreover, the mechanism of TC degradation was proposed based on the photoelectric performance. The strong interaction between the CdS/MoS 2 heterojunction and the electronegative Mt is conducive to the effective separation and transportation of photogenerated electrons. The prepared nanocomposite hydrogels with a desirable catalytic degradation rate, mechanical strength, environmental friendliness , and recyclability are promising for the photodegradation of antibiotics.