Fabrication of 2D/1D Bi2WO6/C3N5 heterojunctions for efficient antibiotics removal

Photocatalysis is a hopeful way to treat antibiotics-containing wastewater, but its practical application is impeded by the lack of high-performance photocatalysts for now. In the present work, a 2D/1D Bi2WO6/C3N5 heterojunction photocatalyst was fabricated through a hydrothermal route, and applied to the photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH). The Bi2WO6/C3N5 nanocomposites showed superior catalytic activity, compared with a single counterpart. The apparent TCH degradation kinetic constant achieved by the optimized Bi2WO6/C3N5 nanocomposite was 7.7 times that achieved by Bi2WO6 and 262 times that achieved by C3N5. Moreover, the influences of the dosage of Bi2WO6/C3N5, the initial concentration and pH of TCH solution, and the presence of anions on the photocatalytic TCH degradation were investigated. In addition, the TCH degradation pathway was studied. The collaborative results of X-ray photoelectron spectra, band structure determination, active species capturing experiments, and spin-trapping electron paramagnetic resonance spectra revealed a direct Z-scheme photocatalytic mechanism of Bi2WO6/C3N5.