A breakthrough study published in Chinese Journal of Catalysis presents a powerful new tool in the fight against water pollution: an S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst that efficiently degrades antibiotic contaminants. This innovative material, composed of Mn0.5Cd0.5S/In2S3 (MCS/IS), not only cleans water effectively but also significantly reduces the toxicity of the breakdown products, addressing a critical challenge in environmental remediation.
The widespread use and improper disposal of antibiotics like tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) have led to their accumulation in water sources, posing severe threats to ecosystem health and contributing to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Conventional water treatment methods often fail to remove these persistent pollutants. While photocatalytic advanced oxidation processes are promising, their efficiency is typically hampered by the rapid recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes.
This research overcomes this fundamental limitation. The team designed and synthesized an S-scheme MCS/IS heterojunction, which creates an internal electric field at the material's interface. This field intelligently directs the flow of photoexcited charge carriers, effectively separating powerful electrons and holes. The result is a dramatic enhancement in photocatalytic performance, with the optimal composite degrading TCH 4.85 times faster than its individual components.
The catalyst's practicality was rigorously tested. It maintained high degradation efficiency across different real-water matrices, including seawater, river water, and tap water, and showed strong resistance to interfering inorganic anions. Furthermore, when integrated into a continuous-flow water treatment system using a PVDF membrane, the catalyst demonstrated outstanding long-term stability, operating effectively over 48 hours.
Crucially, the environmental safety of the process was confirmed. Using toxicity estimation software and bioassays with E. coli and mung beans, the team proved that the antibiotic intermediates formed during degradation are significantly less harmful than the original pollutant, with toxicity becoming negligible after treatment.
This work provides a comprehensive strategy from material design to practical application and environmental impact assessment, marking a significant step forward in developing sustainable and reliable photocatalytic technologies for water purification. The results were published in Chinese Journal of Catalysis (DOI: 10.1016/S1872-2067(25)64723-1 )
About the Journal
Chinese Journal of Catalysis is co-sponsored by Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Chemical Society, and it is currently published by Elsevier group. This monthly journal publishes in English timely contributions of original and rigorously reviewed manuscripts covering all areas of catalysis. The journal publishes Reviews, Accounts, Communications, Articles, Highlights, Perspectives, and Viewpoints of highly scientific values that help understanding and defining of new concepts in both fundamental issues and practical applications of catalysis. Chinese Journal of Catalysis ranks among the top one journals in Applied Chemistry with a current SCI impact factor of 17.7. The Editors-in-Chief are Profs. Can Li and Tao Zhang.
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