Fabrication of FeTiO3/NiTiO3 hybrid heterostructures for visible-light-driven photo-Fenton reaction towards ceftiofur sodium degradation

In this study, heterostructured ferrous titanate (FeTiO3)/nickel (II) titanate (NiTiO3) hybrid systems with different component ratios were fabricated through electrostatic self-assembly route in methanol by modulating the amount of FeTiO3 nanodiscs added. The physicochemical properties of the resultant samples were systematically characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis. The FeTiO3/NiTiO3 hybrid samples were used to remove ceftiofur sodium from aqueous solutions through visible-light-driven photo-Fenton reactions. The results of the degradation reactions showed that the catalytic activity of the fabricated FeTiO3/NiTiO3 samples for ceftiofur sodium degradation are highly depends on the FeTiO3 and NiTiO3 weight ratio, and the 15 wt% FeTiO3/NiTiO3 sample exhibited highly efficient catalytic activity, with degradation efficiency of 91.1%. Electron spin resonance spectrometry and radical-capture experiment revealed that ·OH and h+ play a dominant role in the degradation reaction towards ceftiofur sodium removal.