Construction of Z-scheme Cu-CeO2/BiOBr heterojunction for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of sulfathiazole

The utilization of an efficient photocatalyst is crucial for the photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics in water through visible light, which is an imperative requirement for the remediation of water environments. In this study, a novel Cu-CeO2/BiOBr Z-type heterojunction was synthesized by calcination and hydrothermal methods, and the degradation rate of sulfathiazole (STZ) antibiotic solution was studied using simulated illumination (300W xenon lamp). The results indicated that 3% Cu-CeO2/BiOBr achieved a degradation rate of 92.3% within 90 minutes when treating 20 mg/L STZ solution, demonstrating its potential for practical water treatment applications. Characterization using various chemical instruments revealed that 3% Cu-CeO2/BiOBr exhibited the lowest electron-hole recombination rate and electron transfer resistance. Furthermore, the utilization of ESR data and quenching experiments has substantiated the involvement of hydroxyl radicals (•OH) and superoxide radicals (•O2−) as the primary active species. Consequently, a plausible degradation mechanism has been inferred. These findings offer a prospective approach for the development of heterojunction materials with appropriate band matching.