A novel hollow capsule-like recyclable functional ZnO/C/Fe3O4 endowed with three-dimensional oriented recognition ability for selectively photodegrading danofloxacin mesylate

A novel hollow capsule-like recyclable functional ZnO/C/Fe3O4 was synthesized by employing the convenient and mild sol–gel method combined with the surface imprinting technique, which possessed good light response ability, superior magnetic separation performance and excellent reproducibility. This as-prepared functional ZnO/C/Fe3O4 was proved to not only exhibit high photocatalytic activity but also possess a strong three-dimensional oriented ability to selectively recognize and photodegrade danofloxacin mesylate. Through getting insight into the mechanism, we can confirm that in this photocatalytic reaction, h+ and ˙OH play major roles compared with ˙O2−. This work not only puts forward a novel design idea of functional semiconductor materials but also is expected to be widely applied to the oriented recognition and removal of a target substance according to the practical requirement.