Confined Fe single atomic sites on (100) plane of anatase TiO2 nanofibers boost white LED driven Fenton-like norfloxacin degradation

Developing efficient and sustainable photocatalyst is crucial for antibiotic degradation in water treatment. Iron (Fe) species modified semiconductor photocatalysts have been widely used in visible-light driven Fenton-like systems. However, the limited dispersion of Fe sites and low redox rate of the Fe(III)/Fe(II) restrict the cata-lytic performance. Herein, the atomic Fe sites with highly dispersed coordination centers were confined (100) facets exposed titania nanofibers (Fe-TNFs) for efficient photocatalytic Fenton-like norfloxacin (NOR) degrada-tion. The optimized Fe-TNFs catalyst could achieve 95% NOR removal after 5 h of white LED illumination, which is 15% higher than that of nanostructured Fe species. The high performance is credited for the enhanced visible light absorption, and the efficient electron transfer through Fe-O bonds in Fe-TNFs enables the fast cyclic transformation of Fe(III)/Fe(II), which can promote the continuous production of center dot OH in the photocatalytic Fenton-like system. This study can provide technical support for the developing a feasible and sustainable wastewater treatment solution, and provide reference for the fate and risk assessment of antibiotics in the environment.

Automated summary

The study demonstrates the efficient degradation of antibiotics using iron-modified nanofiber catalysts in a photocatalytic Fenton-like system. The optimized catalyst shows high light absorption and enables fast cyclic transformation of Fe(III)/Fe(II) for continuous production of hydroxyl radicals.