Fabrication of an organic-based PI/ZnO composite with high visible photocatalytic properties toward tetracycline

Photocatalysts with different compositions have wide applications in the field of antibiotics degradation, especially for tetracycline hydrochloride (TC-HCl) degradation. One of the key pathways to improve their performance is by recombination of organic and metallic materials. In this innovative research, the composite photocatalyst PI/ZnO was successfully fabricated by one facile sintering process. The samples were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The photocatalytic performance of the samples was studied by the UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectrum (DRS). The results showed that the visible-light photocatalytic performance for TC-HCl degradation of PI/ZnO composite was approximately 71.2-fold and 3.1-fold as high as that of pure PI and bare ZnO, respectively. In addition, the mechanism of the photocatalytic reaction was revealed by the radical quenching experiments.