Cooperative reinforcement of photocatalysis-coupled capacitive deionization in fructose intercalated MoS2 for removal of tetracycline

CDI technology have attracted attention as a promising next generation water remediation technology, while the sustainability and the removal capacity inhibit the application of CDI for organic pollutant removal. Herein, we introduced photocatalysis coupled with CDI technology for removal of tetracycline (TC) by using MoS2/C electrode as a bifunctional catalyst, which could achieve the self-cleaning of the working electrode through in-situ degrading the adsorbed TC. On account of the introduction of fructose, the restrained ultrathin MoS2/C nanosheets composite with enhanced ion storage capacity and promoted photo-generated electron-hole pairs separation efficiency was constructed. By using TC as a model molecule for mimicking organic contaminants, MoS2/C electrode in the photocatalysis-coupled CDI system exhibited a superior TC removal capacity of 1302.5 mg g−1, TC removal efficiency of 84.8 %, and fast removal kinetics. Moreover, it achieved six cycles through “self-cleaning” based on the cooperative effect of photocatalytic degradation and electrosorption. Finally, FT-IR and radical scavenger experiments were utilized to demonstrate the mechanism of TC degradation. This study paves a way of photoelectronic degradation of antibiotics through a synergetic effect of electrosorption and photocatalysis.