0D/3D coupling of g-C3N4 QDs/hierarchical macro-mesoporous CuO-SiO2 for high-efficiency norfloxacin removal in photo-Fenton-like processes

Photo-Fenton process is an advanced oxidation technology, which is used to eliminate organic pollutants in environmental pollution. In this paper, g-C3N4 quantum dots incorporated hierarchical macro-mesoporous CuOSiO2 (MM SC-QDs) composite was successfully fabricated by a dual-template method combined with polystyrene sphere (PS) crystal and copolymer F127. With the presence of H2O2, MM SC-QDs exhibited excellent degradation performance against the antibiotic pollutant norfloxacin (NOR) under visible-light assisted heterogeneous Fenton process at neutral condition, which was 27 times higher than that of the Bulk CuO-SiO2. Interconnected macropores, together with abundant mesopores effectively expand specific surface area and improve mass transfer. In addition, the g-C3N4 QDs served as the separation center for photogenerated charges, promoting the separation and migration of the charge carriers. Wherein, the long-lived photogenerated electrons were effectively separated and transferred to the surface of CuO-SiO2, which accelerated the reduction rate of Cu2+ to Cu+, enhancing the photo-Fenton-like catalytic activity. This stable, efficient, and environmentally friendly Cu-based heterogeneous photo-Fenton-like catalyst is expected to become an effective implementation in organic pollution removal. Meanwhile, this paper proves that Cu-based materials can activate H2O2 to generate singlet oxygen (O-1(2)) for the degradation of organic pollutants. The transformation mechanism of O-1(2) was clarified, which is helpful to better understand the Fenton-like reaction process of Cu-based materials.

Automated summary

The Photo-Fenton process is an advanced oxidation technology used for eliminating organic pollutants. This paper successfully fabricated a g-C3N4 quantum dots incorporated hierarchical macro-mesoporous CuOSiO2 composite, which showed excellent degradation performance against the antibiotic pollutant norfloxacin under visible-light assisted heterogeneous Fenton process. The stable, efficient, and environmentally friendly Cu-based heterogeneous catalyst is expected to become an effective solution for organic pollution removal.