K4Nb6O17/Fe3N/α-Fe2O3/C3N4 as an enhanced visible light-driven quaternary photocatalyst for acetamiprid photodegradation, CO2 reduction, and cancer cells treatment

A new magnetic quaternary photocatalyst, K4Nb6O17/alpha-Fe2O3/Fe3N/g-C3N4, was synthesized via a simple one-step thermal pyrolysis process. The prepared photocatalyst was well characterized, and its photocatalytic activity was evaluated towards acetamiprid pesticide degradation, CO2 reduction reaction, and U87-MG cell eradication. The coexistence of four different crystalline structures in the prepared photocatalyst could simultaneously facilitate photoelectron transport and suppress charge recombination through their coupled heterogeneous interfaces. Because of the coexistence of various photosensitive compounds, the prepared photocatalyst showed the excellent capability to harvest the visible light photons despite its calculated high-bandgap of 2.75 eV. Besides, the magnetic saturation of about 12 emu/g facilitated the photocatalyst reusability. Benefiting from these favorable properties, the quaternary photocatalyst exhibited 76% removal efficiency for the degradation of acetamiprid pesticide after five times repeated cycles. The evolution rate of 7.01 and 1.3 mu mol g(-1) h(-1) was estimated for CO and CH4, respectively. According to the morphological properties of the treated cells with the IC50 concentration, adecrease of about 50% of viability was observed. Ultimately, the mechanism of charge transfer was comprehensively discussed by quenching experiments and spin-trapping ESR.

Automated summary

A new magnetic quaternary photocatalyst was synthesized through a simple one-step thermal pyrolysis process, which showed excellent photocatalytic performance for pesticide degradation, CO2 reduction, and cell eradication. The photocatalyst contained four different crystalline structures to facilitate photoelectron transport and suppress charge recombination through coupled heterogeneous interfaces. Despite the high-bandgap, the photocatalyst demonstrated exceptional capability to harvest visible light photons due to the coexistence of various photosensitive compounds.