The synergetic enhancement of piezo catalytic performance to remove tetracycline by K2Ti6O13/TiO2 composite

Piezo catalysis has recently been considered an important technology in environmental treatment. In this study, a type II heterojunction of K2Ti6O13/TiO2 composite is successfully prepared by a hydrothermal method for the highly efficient piezo catalytic degradation of tetracycline. The factors influencing the piezo catalysis of tetracycline are systematically studied and discussed, including pH value, competition of anions/cations, ultrasonic power, ultrasonic frequency, and temperature, etc. Free radical sacrificial agents (EDTA-2Na, DMSO, AgNO3, and P-BQ, etc.) are utilized to better understand the degradation mechanism by piezo catalysis, and holes are found to play a dominant role in the catalytic process, and center dot O-2(-) comes the second. The combination of K2Ti6O13 and TiO2 constructs a type II heterojunction of the highly efficient separation of piezo electrons and holes, thus systematically increasing the piezo catalytic performance. This work provides a new idea to degrade organic pollution through piezo catalysis and the potential application of piezo catalysis in environmental treatment. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Piezo catalysis with K2Ti6O13/TiO2 has been shown to be effective in degrading tetracycline, with factors such as pH, anions/cations competition, ultrasonic power, frequency, and temperature being studied. The use of free radical sacrificial agents helped understand the degradation mechanism, highlighting the role of holes and O-2(-) in the process. The combination of K2Ti6O13 and TiO2 enhances electron-hole separation, improving piezo catalytic performance for potential environmental treatment applications.