Facile synthesis of hierarchical Ti3C2/Bi12O17Br2 Schottky heterojunction with photothermal effect for solar–driven antibiotics photodegradation

Photocatalytic technology is considered to be an efficient and green approach for removing tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) to meet the demands of sustainable development. Here, a facile stirring process was employed to construct Ti 3 C 2 /Bi 12 O 17 Br 2 (termed as TBOB) Schottky heterojunction with a hierarchical structure, in which the Bi 12 O 17 Br 2 component was closely deposited on the surface of Ti 3 C 2 . The TC photodegradation performance was estimated for all catalysts under simulated solar light. Compared with Bi 12 O 17 Br 2 , TBOB materials exhibited the superior photodegradation activity due to the synergistic effect between Ti 3 C 2 and Bi 12 O 17 Br 2 , which could increase light harvesting capacity derived from Ti 3 C 2 loading, promote the charge carrier separation due to the formed Schottky heterojunction, and facilitate surface reaction kinetics owing to the photothermal effect. Besides, some crucial influencing factors on the photocatalytic performance over TBOB composites were separately studied in detail. The free radical capture experiment and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) technique confirmed the predominant active species of •O 2 − and e − for the TC photodegradation. Combined with experimental analysis and theoretical calculations, insight into the charge carrier transfer and photodegradation mechanisms were proposed. This study provides theoretical and experimental insights for the rational design of high–efficiency photothermal – assisted Ti 3 C 2 – based photocatalysts. Ti 3 C 2 /Bi 12 O 17 Br 2 Schottky heterojunction exhibits the enhanced photodegradation performance due to the synergistic effect between Ti 3 C 2 and BOB, resulting in the increased light harvesting capacity, the efficient charge carrier separation, as well as the improved surface reaction kinetics. • A facile stirring process was performed to fabricate Ti 3 C 2 /Bi 12 O 17 Br 2 composite. • Ti 3 C 2 /Bi 12 O 17 Br 2 Schottky junction promoted the efficient charge carrier separation. • The photothermal effect improved the charge transfer and surface reaction kinetics. • The synergistic effect of Schottky heterojunction and photothermal effect mainly facilitated photodegradation performance. • Theoretical calculation and experimental results revealed photodegradation mechanism.